


The Eternal

by ladyxa



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Adult Pines Twins, F/F, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, Triangle Bill Cipher, background mabel pacifica, memory manipulation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-05-25 03:52:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6179170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyxa/pseuds/ladyxa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a decade since the twins first visited Gravity Falls and managed to save the world from the dream demon, Bill Cipher. They've returned every summer, not being able to stay away from their second home for more than a year. Every year, Dipper goes to the statue at least once, just to reassure himself. And it was always there. </p><p>Except this year, it's not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! so this is my first attempt at a gravity falls fic. basically, weirdmageddon happened, everything canon still happened. one minor change; stan and ford didn't leave together, stan is still running the mystery shack. that's pretty much all.
> 
> will add more tags and characters as the story progresses. enjoy!

“Mabel, can we please listen to something else?” Dipper groaned.

They had been listening to the same album of the same boyband for the past hour and a half. Dipper was on the verge of grabbing the CD and tossing it out of the car. Waddles, now old and fat, gave a little snort from the back seat.

“Dipper, you know the rules. Driver picks the music,” Mabel grinned.

Ever since their first summer in Gravity falls, they had both decided they could never stay away too long. So since then, they had returned every single summer without fail. Things were calm in Gravity Falls now, since Bill Cipher had been taken care of. Sure, there were still the mythical creatures wondering around in the forest, and the regular weird situations they had to fix, but there was no lingering threat of another Weirdmageddon.

Now, ten years after their first summer, they were driving to their second home yet again. Mabel was practically bouncing on her seat as she talked about seeing Candy and Grenda again, and Pacifica. Dipper had noticed that the last couple of years, whenever Mabel talked about Pacifica, she would act a little differently than she had before. He never failed to notice the faint blush on her cheeks, and the way her eyes glittered.  
  
“Don’t forget we’re having dinner at Pacifica’s tomorrow,” she said with a shy grin.

“Yeah. Who else is going to be there again?” Dipper asked, checking his phone.

“The usual, Candy, Grenda, Gideon…”

“Ugh, Gideon? Really?” Dipper groaned.

Gideon had maybe realised the error of his ways those ten years ago when he finally decided to help them fight Bill, but that didn’t mean that Dipper liked him. Sure, he was civil to him whenever they ran into each other, but that was it. Mabel, on the other hand, was all about forgiving and forgetting.

“Come on, Dipper. It’s been ten years!” she exclaimed. “He’s a perfectly nice guy, you just have to give him a chance. He was a kid back then. We all were!”

“Yeah, yeah.” They’d had this conversation countless times.

It was silent again for a while as Mabel drummed along to the song and Dipper stared out of the window. They stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and a bite to eat, and soon they were on their way again.

A few hours later, they were both grinning as Mabel parked in front of their beloved Mystery Shack.

“Gruncle Stan!” Mabel squealed, jumping out of the car and running towards him, giving him a big hug.

Waddles came jumping out of the car, running after Mabel like a puppy.

“Hey, pumpkin. It’s good to see you,” their Gruncle grinned, tousling her hair. “Jesus, stop growing. You’re gonna outgrow me soon, and we can’t have that.”

Mabel rolled her eyes, still beaming. “I haven’t grown since I was like sixteen, Gruncle Stan.”

“Maybe you’re just shrinking,” Dipper smirked as he gave Stan a big hug as well.

“Can it, wise guy,” was the reply, but Dipper could hear the smile.

 “Hey, dudes!”

The twins grinned again as they saw Soos coming out of the shack. They both hugged him, and he bent down to give Waddles a scratch behind the ear. Soos grabbed their bags from the car. The group started heading inside, dinner already on the table. Dipper lingered behind.

“I’ll be right there guys, there’s just something I have to do,” he called.

Mabel glanced behind her, giving him a knowing look before nodding. Dipper dug his hands into his pockets, making his way through the familiar trail in the woods. He walked slowly, enjoying the smells and sounds and sights of the woods. This place was truly his second home. He hadn’t realised how much he’d missed being in these woods until he was actually there. After about fifteen minutes of walking, he’d reached his destination. He breathed a small sigh of relief that it was still there, although he knew it would be. The stone triangle statue, the only physical evidence there was that Weirdmageddon had actually happened. It was now covered with moss and flowers. It actually looked quite nice.

Dipper sat down opposite the stone Bill Cipher. He rested his chin in his hand, running his hand gingerly over the statue.

“It’s been ten years now,” he said quietly. “It’s so difficult to even imagine that you were ever even sentient. I mean, not really. I still have nightmares. So does Mabel. But you look so harmless now. As if you’ve always been this statue, mysteriously placed in the woods… it’s weird.”

He placed his hand right on the eye, giving it a pat before digging into his pockets. He dug out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one and leaning back.

“Mabel doesn’t like me smoking. I don’t, really. At least, I try not to. But I think I’ll allow it on this occasion. It has been ten years, after all. And it’s not like you’re going to tell on me,” he said with a wry smile.

The statue stared back at him blankly, the big eye staring blindly ahead.

“Mabel’s doing great. She’s an artist now. Her stuff’s really good, she’s already sold so many paintings, it’s kind of unbelievable. If she keeps going like this she’s going to be stinking rich in a few years.”

He chuckled.

“As for me, I guess I’m… kind of a writer. I wouldn’t call myself that, but that’s what it is, I guess. I’ve only sold two books though. I write fiction, mostly… kind of use the weird shit we’ve gone through here. So I suppose it’s not really fiction? I don’t know.”

Dipper fell silent, staring at the stone.

“Anyway. I just wanted to… check if you were still here, I guess. I should go. People will start to wonder where I’m off to. See you around, Bill. Actually, I hope not.”

He stood up and gave the top hat a pat. He shook his head at himself, throwing his cigarette away and standing on it before making his way back to the shack.

 

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Dipper was about to go to bed when he heard a knocking on his door. He opened it, and Mabel was standing in the doorway, holding blankets, a pillow, and a set of cards. She looked at him with a small smile.

“Sleepover?” she asked.

He smiled back and stepped away from the door.

To avoid any awkward situations puberty would bring with it, they had decided to sleep in separate rooms since they were fourteen. Mabel had taken the spare room while Dipper had decided to stay in the attic. That didn’t mean that they didn’t regularly have sleepovers, though.

After a few minutes, they were sitting on the floor playing cards, with blankets wrapped around them.

“You know what would make this better?” Dipper then said.

Mabel looked at him questioningly.

“Drinks,” he then said, grinning.

His sister grinned back and they snuck down the stairs, knowing exactly where their Gruncle kept the good stuff.

“Are you kids raiding my drink cabinet again?” came a grumbling voice.

“Oh, shit,” Dipper muttered.

They both just stood there as Gruncle Stan glared at them.

“Oh, hey Gruncle Stan. You’re not asleep yet?” Mabel said with a high voice and a big smile.

“You knuckleheads didn’t let me finish,” he replied, eyebrows raised. “You kids are raiding my drink cabinet… without inviting me?”

Dipper and Mabel glanced at each other, beaming. Soon the three of them were holed up in the attic, playing cards and drinking liquor.

“Ugh, this stuff is gross,” Mabel said, sticking out her tongue after a sip.

“Well, I’ve got beer as well. But that’s all, honey.”

“I’ll just get some beer,” she decided, getting up and bounding out of the room.

“So how’s Gruncle Ford?” Dipper asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

“He’s fine. He’s somewhere in the Himalaya’s studying supernatural anomalies. He sends his love, by the way,” Gruncle Stan said gruffly.

“Yeah. Too bad he couldn’t be here this year.”

“Who knows, he might come by before the summer ends.”

“Hmm.”

Mabel returned with a few beers, sitting back down again. “So, who’s turn is it?”

 

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That night, Dipper dreamt of deep, dark forests, purple skies and dark blue lakes. He was running. He wasn’t afraid though. He was… free. He jumped over fallen trees, splashed into puddles, ran around ponds – not stopping for a moment. Until.

_Pine Tree._

He came to a shocking halt, before waking up, covered in sweat. No way. No fucking way. He could never forget that voice. There was no mistaking it. He jumped up, slipping on his shoes while doing his best not to wake Mabel. Then he ran down the stairs and out of the door.

It was dark out, and cold. His breath came in little clouds as he kept on running in his T – shirt and sweatpants. He didn’t stop – until he came to a certain clearing.

He stood in shock, just staring. This couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. He was just here today.

The statue of Bill Cipher was gone.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, thank you so much for your support, hope you enjoy!

“What do you mean, it’s gone?!”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? It’s fucking gone!”

Mabel and Dipper were in the attic, after Dipper ran back to the shack and woke his sister immediately. She stared at him with wide eyes and ran her hands through her hair.

“Are you sure you were in the right place?” she said anxiously.

“Mabel, come on! As if any of us could forget where it is. Oh my god, this is bad…”

Mabel sank down onto the bed. “Look, maybe… maybe someone stole it?”

Dipper looked at her.

“Yeah, maybe someone stole it!” she repeated enthusiastically. “Look, there are tons of weird creatures in Gravity Falls, and I’m sure plenty of them remember Bill and maybe some of them worshiped him or something. So they stole the statue to create some kind of shrine?”

“Then why wait ten years?” Dipper exclaimed.

Mabel’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

“Mabel… there’s one other thing.”

She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What?”

He swallowed. “The reason I even went to the statue in the first place… I was dreaming… and then I heard Bill.”

Mabel stared at him, gaping. “What?!”

Dipper nodded anxiously.

“What did he say?”

“He just said ‘Pine Tree.’ Like he always used to do.”

Mabel chewed her lip before covering her face with her hands. “Oh my god.”

“I know,” Dipper muttered, sitting down next to his sister.

She moved her hands back to her hair. “We need to tell Gruncle Stan.”

“I know,” he muttered again.

His sister let out a groan before putting her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her, and sighed.

“We can’t have another Weirdmageddon,” Mabel whispered. “Not again.”

“Never again,” Dipper replied firmly. “We’re not going to let that happen.”

 

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“Well, maybe someone stole it.”

Mabel threw her arms up. “That’s what I said!”

“Why would they steal it? What’s the use of that?” Dipper said, frustrated.

“Look, kid, there are some weird people out there. Someone probably thinks he’s some kind of god and wanted that statue thing. I mean, there are people out there who worship an imaginary flying spaghetti monster! A tortilla chip with an eye isn’t such a big difference,” Stan said with a shrug.

“The difference being that the flying spaghetti monster isn’t real and Bill is,” Dipper replied, crossing his arms.

Stan took a sip from his coffee. “It’s been ten years. Do you really think that after all this time, he suddenly gained the power to come back to life?”

Dipper bit his lip, shaking his head. “I honestly don’t know. But you’ve got to admit it’s weird!”

“Weird, absolutely. Worrying, not really. Kids, I know you two have never fully recovered from Weirdmageddon… which is completely normal.”

He set down his coffee, looking at the twins. “So it’s understandable that something like this really shakes you. I’m not blaming ya. It brings up horrible memories. But you’re both making this bigger than it is,” Stan said gently.

Mabel bit her lip, looking down. Dipper just frowned, growing increasingly frustrated. His sister looked at him, and opened her mouth to say something. He shook his head, ever so slightly, his eyes wide.

“Right. Well, Dipper and I were going to meet up with Wendy,” Mabel then said after a pause.

“All right. You two have fun. You deserve it.” Stan gave Mabel a kiss on the top of her head and ruffled Dipper’s hair, before taking his coffee and newspaper and heading to the living room.

Mabel frowned at her brother. “What –“

“Outside,” he muttered.

They both grabbed their bags and headed to the car. Once they were out of earshot, Mabel turned to Dipper.

“Why wouldn’t you let me tell him about your dream?” she exclaimed.

“He wouldn’t take it seriously. He’d just feel sorry for me still having nightmares… there was no point, Mabes.”

She sighed, leaning back. “I guess you’re right.”

They made the short drive into town, parking near a relatively new-looking coffee shop. Before Dipper got the chance to get out of the car, Mabel put a hand on his knee.

“Hey. Let’s just try and relax, okay? Let’s just have a good time with Wendy and then have a good time at Pacifica’s, and then we’ll sit down together and see if we can figure anything out. Okay, Dippingsauce?” she said with a small smile.

Her twin brother returned the smile. “Yeah. Okay. Who knows, maybe we are overreacting.”

He patted her hand, and they got out of the car.

 

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“Dudes! It’s so good to see you!” Wendy exclaimed, giving them both a hug.

“We missed you!” Mabel exclaimed, hugging her for a few moments longer.

Wendy laughed. “You guys want a coffee? They’ve got like, the weirdest shit here. You can pick stuff that’s mostly sugar, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips and vanilla, with like one coffee bean grinded into it.”

Dipper laughed, and Mabel’s eyes lit up.

“I will have exactly that,” she declared, making her way to the register.

The other two followed her, sharing a smile. The three of them got their coffees and sat down in a booth.

“So what’ve you two dorks been up to?” Wendy asked, brushing her long red hair out of her eyes.

She was still as pretty as she’d always been. Dipper was over her, had been for about a decade, but there was no way denying her beauty. It brought back memories of being hopelessly in love with her, and although he laughed about it now, it was just weird to think about.

They filled her in on what they’d been doing the past year, how their parents were doing, if there were any love interests etcetera. As Mabel denied the latter with a slight blush on her cheeks, Dipper shook his head at Wendy and smiled.

“Ooh, Pines, looks like you’re lying,” Wendy smirked.

“What? Nooo…” Mabel, being Mabel, couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping.

“Oh come on, who is it? Is he hot?” Wendy pressed on, laughing.

Mabel cleared her throat. “Well, since you asked… it’s actually a she.”

“Is _she_ hot?” Wendy then asked.

The twin looked down, smiling shyly. “She’s… really beautiful.”

“Oh, dude, awesome. Are you gonna ask her out?”

“Uhm… I don’t know…”

“Come on, why not?”

“What if she says no?” Mabel looked at her with wide eyes.

Wendy rolled her eyes. “Then she’s a fucking idiot. You’re gorgeous, funny, smart… I could go on. You’ll never know unless you try.”

Mabel smiled a little. “Thanks, Wendy. Maybe I will.”

“You go, girl. Let me know how that works out,” she replied with a grin. Then she turned to Dipper.

“What about you, bro?”

“Nope. No one. And unlike Mabel, I’m being completely honest,” Dipper said with a shrug.

His sister stuck her tongue out at him.

“Ah, well. Someone will come along, dude.” Wendy punched him playfully on the arm.

He tried not to wince as he grinned at her. Damn, that girl was strong. She leaned back, taking a sip from her coffee.

“Boyfriends are overrated as hell anyway. Chad and I broke up like two months ago, and I’ve never been happier, to be honest.”

“What! You and Chad broke up? Why?” Mabel gasped.

Wendy rolled her eyes. “He was a dick. Caught him sticking his tongue down another girl’s throat. Kicked him the fuck out. End of story.”

“Jesus, Wendy…” Dipper said, frowning in sympathy.

“Nah, it’s okay. He wasn’t really that great. I mean, it was good times, but that’s all,” she sighed.

“Oh my god, Wendy. I just had the greatest idea,” Mabel said with a grin.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“We should totally have a girl’s night! You know, watch movies, drink wine, eat chocolate… throw darts at pictures of Chad’s face.”

The red-head threw her head back and laughed. “That’s a great idea. We are absolutely going to do that.”

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon together. There were a couple of moments Dipper considered telling Wendy about the statue, but seeing how much fun Mabel was having stopped him. He didn’t want to spoil things for anyone, and to be honest, he didn’t feel like bringing himself down either.

Later that day, they bid Wendy goodbye and went to the shack to get ready for dinner at Pacifica’s. Mabel was humming a cheerful tune as she applied her make-up, and Dipper went to her room to ask for help with his tie.

As she stood in front of him, tongue sticking slightly out of her mouth, he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Hey, Mabel?”

“Mmhmm?”

“It’s Pacifica, isn’t it?”

His sister paused, looking at him with wide eyes. “How… how did you know?”

“Come on, Mabes. It’s been pretty obvious since you were like nineteen. You should see the way you look when you talk about her,” Dipper smiled.

“Well, then you knew before I did,” she muttered, going back to fixing his tie. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?” she then asked anxiously.

He chuckled. “Of course not.”

She finished with his tie, and bit her lip. “Do you think she likes me?”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Look, you two are horrible at hiding your feelings. She likes you. A lot.”

Mabel grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Do you really think so?”

“Absolutely. Not a doubt in my mind.”

She clasped her hands and did a little jump before hugging her brother.

“All right, all right,” Dipper laughed. “We need to go.”

“Yes, okay!” She spun around, picking up her lipstick.

 

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Dipper had agreed to stay sober tonight to drive them home. As he was sitting at the table with Gideon just a few feet away from him, he was greatly regretting that decision. He wasn’t even behaving obnoxiously, it was just… he didn’t even know. His voice alone was enough to make Dipper grind his teeth.

“Dipper, would you like some more potatoes?” Pacifica asked.

She had become a beautiful young woman, and her personality had turned from snobby and arrogant to kind and fiery. He would never admit it out loud, but even though she was really nice in general, he would not want to get on her bad side. She had a sharp tongue when necessary, and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind – whether people appreciated it or not.

She was wearing a blue evening dress with the hand-knitted sweater Mabel had just given her on top of it. It was bright red with rainbows all over. She looked great in it.

“Yeah, thanks,” he smiled.

As she handed him the potatoes, Gideon raised his glass.

“I’d like to make a toast,” he declared.

Everyone raised their glass, including a reluctant Dipper after he got a kick under the table from Mabel.

“To Dipper and Mabel being back. Gravity Falls has missed y’all again this year, and it’s great to have you back!” he said with a grin.

“To Dipper and Mabel!” everyone repeated.

“To us!” Mabel exclaimed.

“Why does he have to do this every year,” Dipper mumbled, earning him another kick from Mabel.

The dinner continued pleasantly, Candy and Grenda asking Mabel dozens of questions, Pacifica staring at her with a big smile on her face whenever she spoke, and Gideon and him mingling in the conversation a little.  Eventually, Dipper was forced to interact with Gideon as the others were talking about the newest songs from their favourite boybands.

“So… how have you been doing?” Gideon asked, taking a sip from his wine.

“Fine. Just been doing a little writing this year,” he replied dryly.

“Oh, okay. Your other books doing well?”

“Yeah, actually. I mean, I’m sharing an apartment with my sister, but… things could be worse.”

Gideon chuckled. “That they could. You know, y’all are lucky to have each other. Living alone can get rather…lonely.”

They both glanced around the huge room they were in in the North-West mansion.

“Wonder how Pacifica does it,” Dipper remarked.

“Me too. A giant house like this can’t be much fun when you’re alone all the time.”

“Well, technically, she has tons of servants and shit around all the time. She’s pretty friendly with most of them.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same, I don’t think,” Gideon said thoughtfully.

Dipper glanced at him. “Living with your sister isn’t perfect either. I mean, I love her, obviously, and it’s great, but there can be some… awkward situations.”

Gideon grimaced. “I can imagine.”

Mabel cleared her throat suddenly, and they fell silent.

“Guys, I’d like to say something,” she said, looking at Dipper.

He frowned in confusion. Mabel bit her lip before turning to the others.

“Okay, we don’t want to worry you, but…”

“Mabel?” Dipper interrupted. “This isn’t about what I think it is, is it?”

She didn’t reply, instead clearing her throat again.

“Dipper went to the woods yesterday and saw that Bill Cipher’s statue is gone.”

It was deadly silent as everyone stared at her in shock. Grenda turned to Dipper.

“You sure you were in the right place?” she asked.

“Yes, I was at the right place!” he said, frustrated. “Mabel, I thought we weren’t going to talk about this today?”

“Yeah, well… I changed my mind. These guys are our friends and they should know.”

“Maybe someone stole it,” Gideon suggested.

“Oh my god, _no_ ,” Dipper said with gritted teeth.

Gideon looked at him with slight shock from the fierce reaction. “How do you know?”

“Because before I found out the thing was gone, I heard his voice in my dream!”

The table fell silent yet again.

“Look… Dipper… haven’t you been hearing his voice in your dreams more often though? I mean, with the nightmares…” Pacifica said tentatively.

Dipper grimaced. “No. This was different.”

“Bill’s voice is… muffled in the nightmares. I mean, we know it’s him because, duh, but it’s not the same. It’s like a faded echo of his voice. Dipper would know if it was really him or not,” Mabel said firmly.

He looked at her appreciatively, and she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“Woah, you guys have the same nightmares?” Candy exclaimed.

She shared a look with Grenda. “Twin ESP,” they both whispered.

“Look, that’s not the point. The point is, I heard Bill say my name – well, ‘Pine Tree’ – in my dream, I go to the woods and the statue is gone.”

“This is bad,” Pacifica said, frowning.

“What’re we gonna do?” Gideon said, looking around the room with wide eyes. He hadn’t forgotten Bill’s treatment of him, either.

“We’re going to figure this out. If Bill really is back, then it won’t be long before he shows up somewhere. Until then, Dipper and I will dig up Gruncle Stan’s copies of the journals and see if we can find anything.”

“Maybe ask some of the creatures in the woods, as well. They might know if something’s up,” Dipper added. “Until then, keep your eyes peeled and watch out for anything… weird. Let us know if you see anything.”

Everyone nodded, faces serious.

“Wow. The Mystery Twins are back,” Gideon said then with a small smile.

Dipper glared at him. “Don’t call us that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it, please let me know what you think! it would be hugely appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the comments guys, hope you enjoy this one!

 

“Little dudes. Whatcha doin’?”

The twins looked up from the cardboard boxes they’d been going through to see Soos standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Soos,” Mabel said with a smile.

“Little dudes? We’re not little anymore, Soos,” Dipper laughed.

“Well, you’re both littler than me. So to me you’re little dudes,” Soos shrugged with a grin. “So… what’s up with the boxes?”

Dipper and Mabel shared a glance.

“We’re trying to find Gruncle Stan’s copies of the journals,” Mabel then said.

“Need help?” he asked.

“Um, sure Soos. Thanks,” Dipper said.

Soos sat down next to them, grabbing a box for himself. They worked in silence for a while as they sat in the basement, piles of paper surrounding them.

“So… remind me why we’re doing this?” Soos then asked.

The twins looked at each other, their faces showing a rapid display of emotions. Soos looked between them.

“Are you two having some kind of mental conversation? Because that’s pretty cool.”

Dipper shook his head and put down the papers he had been holding. “No. Well, kind of. But that’s not the point. We’re… not sure if we should explain, Soos. Sorry. Things didn’t go too well when we tried to explain it to Gruncle Stan.”

“Oh. Well, you dudes know you can trust me, right?” Soos then said.

“Come on, Dipper. It’s _Soos_!” Mabel exclaimed, throwing down her papers.

“Okay. You’re right.” He turned to the handyman. “Soos, we think Bill might be back.”

They let him have his moment of shock before explaining the entire thing. Soos frowned, then opened his mouth to say something.

“Yes, I was in the right place,” Dipper interrupted. “And we’re pretty sure it hasn’t been stolen.”

“Oh… shit.”

“Yep,” Mabel sighed, starting to go through the box again. “That’s why we’re looking for the copies. There might be something in them that we could use.”

“Huh. Well, I’ll help you find them, dudes. What did Stan say, anyway?”

Dipper scowled. “He basically told us we have an overactive imagination and some kind of PTSD that’s causing us to be paranoid.”

“Even after you told him you heard Bill’s voice in your dream?” Soos then asked, frowning.

Dipper fell silent then, lowering his eyes back to the boxes. Mabel crossed her arms.

“He wouldn’t tell him.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because he’d just say that we’re always having nightmares, and this one’s no different! He wouldn’t take it seriously, dude.”

“Maybe you should tell him, though. You never know. I mean, it’s not like Stan hasn’t been through Weirdmageddon either. Hearing his voice is definitely creeping-out worthy,” Soos said with a shrug.

“Dipper, if Gruncle Stan knows, he could help us. Maybe he could call Ford, as well,” Mabel remarked.

“No. I don’t want to be patronised again. The next time I tell Gruncle Stan something, it’s going to be with proof that he can’t argue with,” he replied stubbornly.

He hadn’t heard Bill’s voice in his dreams again. He was afraid Stan was going to ask him exactly that, and he knew how weak it would sound if he told him the truth.

“Look… Dipper, you can’t really blame Gruncle Stan for being like this. I mean, he’s been through the whole deal. With us, I mean. The waking up screaming and random flashbacks and crying… he was there for us the entire time. We’ve told him we heard him in our dreams tons of times.”

“Yeah, but back then we were kids,” he replied. “That was years ago.”

“Maybe you should cut him some slack, dude. He’s an old guy, and I’m guessing he really doesn’t wanna go through anything Bill-related again,” Soos said, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

“I guess. But that just proves that I need to see something Gruncle Stan will believe.”

Mabel sighed. “Yeah.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon digging through the files.

 

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Dipper was dreaming. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. He was sitting by a large lake, the sky above him a soft pink. He took his shoes and socks off, and dipped his feet in the lake. He didn’t know why, but it seemed like a logical thing to do. He sat like that for a while, moving his feet around in the cool water. He leaned back on his arms, enjoying the sun shining in his face. Suddenly, everything lurched – and the next moment his lungs were filling up with water that had suddenly turned ice-cold. He made a startled noise, regretting it immediately as he felt even more water entering his lungs. He looked around wildly, and realised he was being pulled down. The water had turned pitch-black and he couldn’t see a thing.

Dipper kicked his feet and felt long claws dig into them. He looked down and saw a white, thin, long-fingered hand with red claws wrapped around his ankle. Panicking, he kicked again, willing himself to wake up. His lungs were burning and he could feel himself losing consciousness, which made no sense since he was _dreaming_.

Suddenly, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, and he was forcefully being pulled up, and up, and up. When his head broke the surface, he gasped, immediately spewing water. He vaguely felt himself being pulled out of the water and back onto the ground. He doubled up, still coughing and retching.

_The Guardian. Now._

Dipper looked around wildly, but there was no one there. The water was clear blue again, and everything was calm. It was like nothing had ever happened.

And yet Bill was speaking to him again.

“Where are you?!” he yelled. No reply.

The Guardian? What?

He woke up.

“What the fuck,” he whispered, hands trembling as he ran them through his hair. He could still feel his lungs burning, which was impossible… it was just a dream.

He kicked off the blankets and pulled up the bottom of his trousers – and let out a gasp. His ankles were bruised all around, with obvious claw-marks here and there. They didn’t look fresh, more like it had happened a couple of days ago, with some dried blood covering his ankles and feet.

He stared at his ankles for a few more moments before jumping up and running down the stairs.

“Ah, there he is. The ‘I’m in my early twenties and take naps during the day while my Gruncle needs help around the shack’ guy,” Stan grumbled, looking up from the TV.

“Gruncle Stan, what’s the Guardian?” Dipper panted, ignoring the comment.

Stan frowned. “The Guardian? That’s some shady bar in town. Why do you –“

“Where is it?” Dipper asked, already pulling on his shoes.

“Um… near the mall. What are you –“

“No time. Tell Mabel I had another dream, and where I am.”

With those words, he practically sprinted out of the door and into the car, leaving an extremely confused Gruncle alone in the living room.

A while later, he was parking his car outside the Gravity Malls. He got out and looked around wildly. He walked around for a few minutes before he finally found it. His Gruncle had been right, it was shady as hell.

Dipper stepped inside the badly-lit bar, and a few old men who were having an intense conversation paused to look at him. He didn’t care, looking around the bar, but not seeing anything special. Frustrated, he went to sit in a corner booth.

This had to be the right place. What else could Bill have meant? He mulled over the words, picking at his jacket. Guardian… did he mean Bill was his guardian? No, that was fucking stupid.

“Come on, Dipper. Think,” he muttered to himself, closing his eyes.

“Sheesh, Pine Tree, you’re going to give yourself an aneurism.”

Dipper practically jumped through the roof. He stared at the man sitting in front of him. Tall, lanky and tanned. Hair dyed golden on one side, black on the other. A triangular eye-patch on his left eye, his other eye electric blue and staring right at him. Most of all, the shark-like grin on his face, with the teeth just a little too pointy to be human.

There was no mistaking it. It was Bill.

“Wha… how… what –“

“I see your vocabulary hasn’t changed since you were twelve. Although I do tend to have that effect on people,” Bill said with a wink.

Dipper was just about ready to pull his hair out. “What the fuck!” he yelled, earning him a few looks. “This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”

Bill leaned back, eyebrow raised, the grin still on his face. He stayed silent as Dipper kept on spluttering. Finally, the latter stood up.

“Whose body is that?! Who are you possessing? Get out! Hey, whoever’s floating around here, don’t panic! You need a vessel, just –“

“I’m not possessing anyone. Sit down, Pine Tree,” Bill said with a roll of his eye.

Dipper obeyed, more out of complete shock than anything. He stared at Bill for a few moments longer, continuously shaking his head.

“What the fuck is going on?” he whispered, tugging at his hair. “No way. There’s no way.”

“Relax, kid. Go get a beer,” Bill said, throwing some money on the table.

Dipper shook his head, feeling his eyes starting to water from lack of blinking. “No, this… this can’t be… how are you – what is happening –“

“Hey!” Bill yelled, leaning forward. He snapped his fingers in front of Dipper’s face. “Snap out of it. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing here?! How are you even _alive_?”

“I was never dead, you idiot. Just calm down,” Bill said, growing noticeably impatient.

Dipper took deep breaths, closing his eyes and counting to ten. When he opened them, Bill was staring at him with an amused grin.

“How are you back?” he then asked, trying his best to keep his voice level.

“Nope. Can’t tell you that. Next,” Bill shrugged.

Dipper took another deep breath. “The body.”

“Magic. No one died, no one’s being used. Just pure magic,” Bill replied, looking smug.

“Why?”

“Because of reasons that are none of your business, Pine Tree.”

Dipper shook his head, letting out a bitter laugh. “I’m not accepting that as an answer.”

“Look, I’m not planning another Weirdmageddon. I’m not planning on hurting anyone or taking over the universe, so just let me do my thing and I’ll let you do yours.”

Dipper stared at him, narrowing his eyes. “How do you expect me to believe you?”

Bill shrugged. “Believe what you want, kid. It’s not my problem.”

“Can I get you two anything?” A waitress suddenly appeared, looking at them expectantly.

“Two beers,” Bill said before Dipper could intervene.

“I don’t want anything,” he snapped when the waitress had left.

“I’m surprised they even have waitresses here. This place is a dump,” Bill said as he looked around, completely ignoring Dipper’s comment.

Suddenly, everything was just too much. Dipper’s breath came in panicked gasps, and he stood up abruptly, stumbling. Bill rolled his eye.

“For fuck’s sake, Pine Tree. Sit down. I’m not –“

“No. This – I can’t do this. You’re _Bill_. Oh god, you’re Bill. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck –“

“Pine Tree! Calm _down_ –“

“No! Fuck!” With that, Dipper ran outside, dodging anyone and anything in his path, not daring to look back.

He got into his car and sped home. When he reached the shack, he ran straight to the attic, locking it. He then crawled into bed and covered his face with his hands.

Dipper stayed that way until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading, let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so so so much for the comments, it means the world to me! hope you enjoy this chapter x

“Dipper?” Mabel called softly. “Dipper, please open up.”

“Come on, kid. What happened?” his Gruncle’s voice sounded through the door. “Talk to us.”

They had woken him up in the middle of the night. He guessed Mabel had just come home from Pacifica's, and Gruncle Stan had told her that Dipper had locked himself in the attic ever since he got home.

He didn’t make a sound, wishing they’d just let him sleep.

“Dip-dop… come on,” his sister pleaded, almost making him want to get up.

“Honey, I’m guessing he’s asleep. We can talk to him in the morning,” he heard Gruncle Stan say gently, and then he heard Mabel sigh.

“Okay. Goodnight, Dipper. Love you,” she said, sounding sad, and they both left.

Dipper groaned quietly, feeling guilty. But he just couldn’t talk right now. His mind was a spiral of panic and confusion, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold a normal conversation at the moment. So he turned around and went back to sleep.

 

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He was dreaming again. Damn it. Why couldn’t he just sleep without dreaming? Dipper looked around. This time he was in a field, with little blue flowers all around him. It was nice enough, he guessed. He sat down, enjoying the sun in his face.

Then the sky turned blood red. Dipper groaned, knowing something like this was going to happen. The flowers around him wilted and turned black, crumpling up. He looked around wildly, trying to find some kind of escape from this place. There was a light a few feet ahead of him – maybe that was it?

He started running towards it, hopeful now that he would be able to get out of this nightmare. As he neared the light, he came to a slow stop when he realised what it was. Fire. The entire field was on fire. The flames were surrounding him now, having spread impossibly fast, and he had nowhere to go.

He could feel the heat rising from it, felt his eyes water and his throat close up from the smoke. The flames were getting closer – way too close – licking at his shoes and trousers. He yelled, panicking.

“Fuck!” Dipper shouted as he felt a part of his leg burn a little.

The flames were starting to close up on him now.

“Oh my god. Oh god. Oh shit,” he yelled, jumping up and down to avoid the flames.

He jerked up when he heard a high pitched laugh, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“Who are you?! Bill? Is that you? Stop!” he shouted, still trying to avoid the flames.

The laughing seemed to grow louder and louder, until it became more of a constant shrieking. Dipper was officially about to piss his pants.

Then something grabbed his hand and pulled him upwards towards the sky. He gasped in relief, and he seemed to be hanging in the sky for a moment before he heard fingers snap. The sky turned blue again, and the flames died out, leaving fresh green grass in their wake. The flowers seemed bluer and bigger than before, and the sinister laughing was gone.

Dipper was then dumped unceremoniously back onto the ground. He scrambled back up, turning around to see who his savior was – yet again. He froze.

“Bill?”

“The one and only.”

Bill had returned to his original form, top hat, cane and tie intact. His big eye still seemed to be looking around, as if searching for danger.

“What… what was that?” Dipper exclaimed.

Bill sighed. “That, Pine Tree, is something I can’t tell you. Just be grateful I saved you and forget it.”

“Are you insane?! This is the second time something like this has happened! And I’ll bet I’m going to wake up with burns on my leg. What the fuck is going on?” Dipper snapped.

Bill rolled his eye, floating around Dipper with his legs crossed. “Are you going to have another panic attack? Because that would be really annoying.”

“Fuck you,” Dipper spat. “What do you expect? You made everyone’s life a living hell, and you tried to kill me on multiple occasions. Now you just pop up again and expect everything to be all right? _Fuck_ you!”

He stalked off, walking in a random direction, hoping Bill would leave him alone. He blinked, and the floating triangle was in front of him.

“Don’t be stupid, Pine Tree. You can’t run away from me here,” he said, voice smug.

“Ugh, get out of my head! What the fuck do you _want_?” Dipper shouted.

Bill seemed to pause, looking at Dipper with a narrowed eye. Then he adjusted his bow tie, twirling his cane in one hand.

“What I want is a little gratefulness. Two times I’ve saved your pathetic ass now, and this is the response I get? Maybe next time I’ll just let you suffer.”

“Saved me from what? Who keeps attacking me?” Dipper asked, feeling desperate. “Why?”

“Ugh! Questions, questions. You meatbags are always asking so many _questions_. Look kid, we can talk. But not here.”

“Why not? This is in my head. I couldn’t think of a more private place,” Dipper said, confused.

Bill just narrowed his eye. “No. In a few minutes you’ll wake up. I’ll be waiting in front of the shack.”

“Wait, you haven’t been here the entire time, have you?”

Bill didn’t reply, just rolled his eye and snapped his fingers – and Dipper was awake.

He was awake, and he was seething. Who the hell did Bill think he was? He couldn’t just invade his mind like that. Invade his mind and be all smart and expect Dipper not to care after he tried to kill everyone ten years ago. He got up, quickly pulling on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans before stepping into his shoes and opening the door.

It was still dark out, so it was safe to assume everyone was still asleep. He tiptoed down the stairs, opening the front door quietly. Closing it, he looked around.

“Bill?” he hissed. “Bill!”

“Right here, Pine Tree.”

Dipper jumped at the voice, and looked around him to see a tall dark figure leaning against a tree.

“Fuck’s sake, have you been standing out here all day?”

Bill snorted. “No,” he said, before quickly continuing with: “We should get out of here. Wouldn’t want to wake Stan and Mabel, would we?” He laughed quietly. “Now that would be a nasty surprise for them.”

Dipper took a deep breath before nodding. “Fine. We’ll take my car.”

They got into the car and Dipper drove away, not allowing himself to think about how weird this situation was. Bill was sitting right next to him. As a human. In a car. What the hell. He shook his head slightly, feeling Bill’s eyes burning into him.

Don’t start panicking don’t start panicking don’t –

“Yeah, don’t start panicking, Pine Tree.”

“Stay out of my head!” Dipper snarled.

“Sheesh, sorry. Old habits die hard,” Bill replied, and Dipper could hear the smirk in his voice.

“So, what. Are – are you human now? Why – what – how are you –“

“ _Stop_. Fucking hell, have you always been this jittery?”

Dipper clenched his steering wheel. “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.

He could see Bill shrug from the corner of his eye. “Fair enough.”

“Where am I going, anyway?”

“Just keep driving, I’ll give you directions.”

It occurred to Dipper that Bill may be leading him to a secluded place where he could easily torture and kill him. He felt panic rising up inside him again.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not going to hurt you!” Bill exclaimed, slapping his hand down on the dashboard.

Dipper jumped, getting a fright from the sound. Bill let out a chuckle.

“Wow, Weirdmageddon really fucked you up, didn’t it? Stop here.”

Dipper parked the car. They were at a bar. Weird choice.

They went inside without saying a word to each other, Bill leading the way, not looking back to see if Dipper was following. Bill went to get a couple of beers as he gestured towards a booth. A few moments later, he sat down opposite Dipper, setting the beer on the table.

“I can’t drink. I’m driving,” Dipper said sourly, moving the glass away from him.

“One beer’s not gonna kill you. And if you get too drunk, you can just call your sister,” Bill replied, seeming uninterested as he took a sip.

Dipper shook his head. “No.”

Bill shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Dipper had had enough. “I need you to tell me what’s going on, and I need you to tell me now,” he hissed, leaning forward.

Bill seemed surprised at this, and he let out a little laugh. “Feisty, are we?”

“I’m not playing around, Bill! How are you back?!”

Bill rolled his eye, taking a big gulp of beer before setting it on the table. “Someone summoned me.”

Dipper stared at him in absolute shock for a few moments. “What? Who?”

“That’s private information, kiddo. But that someone provided the magic for me to create a body and everything – I’d say we have a swell deal.”

“What’s the deal?”

“Again, private information. Nothing too big. And still none of your business.”

Dipper clutched at his hair. “Oh my god, Bill. How can you just pop up out of the blue and expect me to be fine with all of this? What is wrong with you?”

“Would you rather I’d have not done anything? Would you rather have just met me on the street someday without knowing shit?” Bill snapped, growing impatient.

Dipper crossed his arms. “I don’t know. I’d rather not have you alive again at all, to be completely honest,” he then shrugged.

Bill gave him a shark-like grin. “Like I said, Pine Tree, I was never dead.”

“What, so you were just frozen? Is that it? You were just a stone for ten years but you were aware of everything the entire time?” he snorted.

“Yes,” Bill deadpanned, and Dipper froze.

“Wait… so you could hear everything? See everything?” he said slowly.

Bill leaned back with a smug smile, crossing his arms. “Oh, yeah.”

“So… you heard everything I said?”

“Oh, definitely, Pine Tree. How’s your writing coming along?” Bill then laughed.

Dipper covered his face with his hands. “Oh my god.”

“Using the things that have happened to you here, though? Come on. I’d have thought you’d be a little more creative than that.”

He didn’t reply, still keeping his face covered.

“I mean, did you use Weirdmageddon? Because if so I think I have the right to some credit. I mean, seeing as I was the instigator of the whole thing. Although, seeing as how messed up about it you are, maybe you haven’t used it.” Bill snorted. “I mean, the word alone is enough to make you jump –“

He was silenced when Dipper’s fist hit his jaw. They stared at each other for a few moments, both in complete shock. Dipper was sure he’d fucked up now. Oh god, Bill was going to kill him.

Then, Bill’s face broke out in a grin. Dipper still stared in shock as he started laughing maniacally, slapping his hand down on the table. Suddenly, Bill leaned forward, still grinning.

“Pain is hilarious,” he hissed, before laughing again. “Thanks for that, Pine Tree. I’d forgotten what it was like to feel pain in a human body.”

Dipper stared at him. “You’re insane.”

“You’re only just figuring that out now?”

Dipper felt the heat rise to his cheeks. “Why are we here, Bill?” he snarled. “What do you want from me?”

In an instant, Bill’s face turned deadly serious. Dipper automatically leaned back a bit.

“You were the only one to defeat me, Pine Tree. You and that ridiculous family of yours. I want to know how you did it. I want the journals, kid,” he then said quietly, with a gleam in his eye.

“You – you burned the journals yourself,” Dipper spluttered, taken aback.

“Yessss, and I also know that you little meatbags have copies. I want them.”

Dipper laughed bitterly. “Do you think I’m stupid? Not a chance in hell, Bill.”

Bill smiled back at him. “We’ll see about that.”

“No, we won’t. I’m never giving you the copies of the journals. Ever. You fucked up my life once, there’s no way I’m letting it happen again. Jesus, you must think I’m really stupid.”

“I don’t. And I’m not planning on fucking up your life.”

“Yeah, whatever Bill. You’ve seen the error of your ways and are a completely changed person. Okay,” Dipper snorted, taking a sip of beer anyway.

Bill looked at him as Dipper took a sip, and smirked. “I’ll make you change your mind, Pine Tree. You’ll see.”

 Dipper took another gulp of beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. They looked each other up and down for a few moments, not saying anything. Dipper could have laughed at Bill’s outfit – a black suit with a golden silk bow tie. As a human, he was obviously just as eccentric. Which brought him to his next question.

“Why are you human? Why aren’t you just possessing anyone?”

“Multiple reasons. One of them being, I lost pretty much all my powers and if I’m not human I can only exist in the Mindscape.”

“Wow wow wow wait, you lost your powers?” Dipper exclaimed with an incredulous laugh.

Bill glared at him. “I didn’t lose them. They’re… out of my reach. But not for long. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.”

“So now, what can you do? Read people’s minds and get into their dreams? Is that it?”

Bill narrowed his eye at him. “I can also do this.”

He snapped his fingers, and the glass Dipper was holding shattered apart, spilling beer all over both of them. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

Dipper flinched, feeling his fear slowly start to return. He glanced down at his hand, and saw that it was bleeding. He looked back up at Bill and grabbed a napkin, pressing it to the cut without breaking eye-contact. Bill started laughing again, downing the rest of his beer.

“Looks like you’re bleeding, Pine Tree. Let me fix that,” he said with a smirk, leaning across the table.

“No, no. It’s nothing,” Dipper muttered, flinching away from Bill’s touch.

The latter let out a growl, which shocked Dipper into staying still. Bill grabbed his wrist and pulled it towards him. He kept on staring Dipper in the eye, and Dipper didn’t dare to look away, feeling as if he was caught in some kind of trance.

Bill put two fingers on his cut, making him wince, but Bill didn’t loosen his grip nor break eye-contact. Slowly, Dipper felt the pain disappear. After a few moments Bill leaned back, crossing his arms and smirking smugly.

Dipper looked down at his hand, and saw that the cut was gone. Completely gone. The only evidence there was that there had been a cut was the now drying blood on his hand.

He gasped, looking back up at Bill.

“Why did you do that?” he exclaimed.

Bill shrugged, looking at his nails. “Just showing you what I’m capable of – even if I’m not in complete possession of my powers at the moment.”

Dipper just frowned, not knowing what to say.

“Anyway, Pine Tree, it’s been fun. I’ll see you again soon,” Bill grinned, standing up.

“Wait, you’re leaving? Just like that? I haven’t asked you about my dreams yet!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll see me around. I’m not gonna leave you alone until you give me those copies,” he replied with a wink.

He turned around, and walked away. “Say hi to Mabel for me,” he called as he walked through the door without looking back.

Dipper pinched his arm to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Nope, he wasn’t. He didn’t even know what to think right now. He got a glass of water and downed it in one go, before getting into the car and driving home.

 

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“ _WHAT_?!”

“Mabel, calm down –“

“ARE YOU CRAZY? CALM DOWN? YOU SAW BILL OH MY GOD –“

“I know, I know! Just let me explain!”

Mabel took deep breaths and covered her mouth with her hands as Dipper explained the whole thing, telling her about his dreams, Bill wanting the copies, everything. When he was done, Mabel ran her hands through her hair.

“What’s going on? Why does he want those copies so bad?” she exclaimed.

“No doubt he’s planning something. We obviously can’t let that happen.”

“We should find them, though. Now that we know Bill wants them, there’s bound to be something important in there.”

“You’re probably right. Look, we need to go tell Gruncle Stan what happened,” Dipper said. “This is shit he just can’t deny.”

Mabel nodded, eyebrows furrowed. “God, Dipper. I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone. Why didn’t you get me?”

Dipper shrugged. “I don’t know. I was in a hurry. But hey, Mabel?”

“Yeah?”

He smirked. “I punched that motherfucker in the face.”

Mabel’s eyes widened. “You did _what_?”

“Yeah. He was being a complete dick and it was just too much and I just lost control and punched him…”

“How are you sitting here? How did he not kill you?” Mabel breathed, shaking her head.

“I think… he liked it?”

Mabel’s face scrunched up in disgust.

“No, not like that – he just basically told me pain is hilarious, which is, coincidentally, something he said ten years ago when he possessed my body – and laughed like a maniac. Honestly, that guy’s fucked in the head.”

Mabel rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously. I mean, he’s an ancient dream demon. Emphasis on the demon part. But seriously, your dreams? That’s freaking me out. That’s not good.”

Dipper sighed. “I know. It’s like something keeps trying to kill me, and Bill keeps saving me for whatever reason. I didn’t get the chance to ask him that.”

“Didn’t get the chance to ask who what?” their Gruncle appeared in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes as he walked over to the fridge.

Mabel and Dipper looked at each other.

“I’ve physically seen and talked to Bill.”

Stan dropped the carton of eggs he’d been holding. “You _what_?!”

Dipper explained the whole thing again, this time not leaving anything out. Stan just stared at him wordlessly throughout the entire monologue. When Dipper was done, Stan let out a huge breath.

“Jesus, kid. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

“It’s… okay. As long as you believe me now.”

“Of course I do. Of course. So. What are we gonna do?”

“Well, we don’t know what he’s planning… if he is planning anything.” Stan and Dipper both scoffed at that. “But right now, there isn’t much we can do, right guys? I mean, he’s mostly human. He can’t really do anything, can he?” Mabel said with a shrug.

“We’ll start with not giving him the copies,” Stan grumbled. “Not that I know where they are, anyway.”

“Damn it,” Dipper muttered. “Yeah okay, Mabel and I will find them. Anyway. Right. Yeah. Not giving him the copies.” He paused. “And then what?”

“Exactly, you dummies. What are we going to do, kill him?” Stan and Dipper both gave a doubtful shrug. “No! We’re not going to kill him, he’s practically human! And he didn’t do anything to us yet. I mean, Dipper, you punched him in the face, and he didn’t lay a finger on you. He even healed your cut.”

Dipper frowned, crossing his arms, but not replying.

“Look, I think we shouldn’t be so hasty. How about this: if he does something even remotely threatening, we’ll… we’ll kill him. But as long as he doesn’t, we’ll just stay out of his way and hope he leaves us alone as well.”

“Mabel, come on. You just wanna sit around and wait to be killed?” Stan exclaimed. “We need to take action. We’ve gotta get that fucker before he can get us. Because, honey, he’s gonna get us.”

“But _how_? He’s human and basically powerless and by himself – we’re with the three of us, four if you count Soos, and that’s not considering Candy, and Grenda, and Pacifica, and Wendy and Gideon,” Mabel said, throwing up her arms. “It would be weak to gang up on him like that and you know it.”

Stan shrugged. “I don’t really care, Mabel. He’s almost killed you, multiple times, and I’ll be damned if I let that one-eyed nacho get away with it.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Dipper. What do you think?” Mabel asked, desperate for support.

He took a deep breath. “I think… I should see him again.”

Stan and Mabel both made sounds of shock. “What? Why would you do that?” Mabel asked, incredulous.

“That was not one of the choices, kid,” Gruncle Stan said.

“I know, I know. I just feel like he has more answers. I mean, what keeps trying to kill me in my sleep? What does he need the journals for? Why are his powers gone? Things just aren’t adding up.”

“I know they aren’t, Dipper, but sometimes it’s better just to let things go,” Mabel said quietly.

“I can’t do that, Mabel. I’m sorry.”

She sighed, looking down. Then she cringed, noticing that the broken eggs had seeped into her slippers. “Oh, ew!”

“Ah, crap. Kids, help me with this, will ya? We’re talking about this later,” Stan said, jabbing a finger at Dipper.

“Yeah, okay,” Dipper replied, hoping he would be able to avoid that conversation.

As the three of them cleaned the floor, Waddles came in and starting licking up the egg. Mabel laughed, scratching behind the old pig’s ear. “Good boy!”

Dipper and Stan smiled, both picking up the eggshells. Dipper took them to the trashcan, throwing them in. He sighed, closing his eyes for a while.

In the blackness, he saw a yellow triangle with a single eye. His eyes flew open, and there was nothing there, of course.

He shook his head at himself, going back to cleaning up the eggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, thank u so much for the feedback! it honestly makes my day!!

“Okay, that’s just plain creepy,” Pacifica said with a grimace as she took a sip from her orange juice.

“I know, right! Like, why does he keep contacting Dipper? It’s so weird,” Mabel said, shaking her head.

“Well, if I remember Bill correctly, he is one attention seeking little shit.”

Mabel snorted. “You’ve got that right. But I wish he’d leave Dipper alone. We don’t need this, you know?”

Pacifica put her hand on Mabel’s. “I know.”

“I mean, it’s been really hard, and things have gotten better, but I’m afraid Dipper’s going downhill again… the nightmares have become worse, for a start.”

“How so?” Pacifica asked with a sympathetic frown.

“Okay, that wasn’t fair. I do really think someone is influencing his dreams,” Mabel corrected. “He keeps dreaming something is about to – to kill him, and then Bill comes and saves him.”

“What the fuck,” Pacifica said, eyebrows raised.

“I _know_. I’m starting to really worry about Dipper…”

“Well, Mabel, to me it sounds like Bill is… trying to help him. I don’t get it either, but you said Bill keeps coming to his rescue, right?”

Mabel scratched her arm. “Yeah. But it’s Bill!”

“I know, I know. This is just too weird. Ugh, I can’t believe you guys have to go through this again…”

“Well, he’s not killing anyone. Yet.”

“Still, we should have some kind of back-up, right? I mean, despite the past few days, Bill still can’t be trusted.”

“Of course not. Gruncle Stan wants to just end him right away…”

“Like, kill him?” Pacifica asked, frowning.

Mabel sighed. “Yeah. I’m not a fan of the idea.”

“I can get that. Although I can also get where your Gruncle is coming from.”

“I suppose.” Mabel then groaned and faceplanted the table. “This is so messed up.”

Pacifica put a hand on her back, rubbing gently. “I know, honey. We’ll work something out.”

Mabel sat there for a while, just enjoying Pacifica’s touch on her back. Eventually she raised her head, looking at Pacifica and smiling. The latter smiled back.

The butterflies in Mabel’s stomach were going absolutely wild as Pacifica gazed at her with her big blue eyes. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when she got interrupted by a phone ringing.

“I’m sorry,” Pacifica spluttered, seeming flustered as well as she answered the phone.

Mabel leaned back, smiling softly and looking down. As Pacifica was in discussion with her mother, Mabel reached over and grabbed her hand. Pacifica shot her a glance and smiled, taking her hand and giving it a light squeeze.

 

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“No, really. I can’t drink, I’m driving,” Dipper laughed as Wendy set down two beers.

“Come on, dude. You can take a cab,” she grinned, winking. “Oh, hey, that’s Robbie. Robbie! Over here!”

Robbie Valentino spotted them and smirked, making his way over. “Little Dipper. Long time no see. How’re you doing, man?”

Robbie hadn’t changed much. He still wore dark, oversized hoodies and skinny jeans. His pimples had disappeared and he wasn’t generally awful to be around anymore, though. He had a full-time job as a youth counsellor, something he was apparently surprisingly good at.

“I’m all right, how are you?” Dipper smiled. Their childish feud over Wendy was water under the bridge, and had been for a long time.

“I’m not doing great. There are only two beers on this table,” Robbie replied as he sat down, squeezing in next to Wendy.

“You can have mine,” Dipper laughed. “I’m driving.”

“Nah, son. Go get your own beer,” Wendy interfered with a smirk.

Dipper rolled his eyes good-naturedly as she shoved the glass back towards him. Robbie laughed, standing up to get beer for himself.

“So what’ve you been up to in good ol’ Gravity Falls?” he asked when he returned.

Dipper scratched his chin, trying to think of what he’d been doing besides worrying about Bill. “Uhm. Mabel and I had dinner with the gang. We had coffee with this one,” he said, gesturing at Wendy, who snapped her fingers and winked. “Nothing too eventful, really. Just been getting coffee a lot.”

“Dude, he’s only been here for like a week,” Wendy said, rolling her eyes.

“True enough. Well, time to make memories,” Robbie grinned, raising his glass.

Wendy cheered as she raised her glass as well, and they both looked expectantly at Dipper. The latter sighed, picking up his glass and raising it too.

A while later, they were all well and drunk. Robbie was getting them their third round of shots when Dipper got a call.

“Oh, dude, Wendy… hang on, someone’s calling me…” he grinned.

“Oooh, who is it?” Wendy asked, her cheeks red as she made kissing sounds.

“Ew, don’t. It’s Mabel.” This was extremely funny to both of them and they both burst out laughing, and Dipper almost forgot to answer the call.

“Heyyyy, Mabel. What’s up, sis?”

“You’re drunk already? It’s like ten o’clock.”

“What can I say, I’m making memories.” Wendy covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

 Mabel chuckled. “Anyway, Pacifica’s dropping me off so I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Oh, is she joining us? Maybe you’ll end up drunk enough to finally have the guts to kiss her,” Dipper teased.

“Dipper! Shut up, you’re on speaker!” Mabel hissed.

“Oh, shit. Hi, Pacifica,” he said sheepishly.

Wendy was slamming the table from laughing so much.

“Hi, Dipper. And I can’t, I have a thing with my parents,” Pacifica replied, the smile obvious in her voice.

“Ah, that’s too bad, Pac. Pacif. Ifica. Cifi. There’s not really a good way to do that, is there?”

“No, there isn’t. So please don’t,” Pacifica replied, Mabel giggling in the background.

“Anyway, Dipper, I’ll see you shortly, okay?” she then said.

“Okay. Bye bye,” Dipper replied, hanging up the phone. “Mabel’s gonna be here in a few minutes.”

“Cool, cool. Ah, Robbie, finally.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes drinking and laughing and reminiscing about old times. Suddenly, Wendy and Robbie fell silent as Dipper felt someone squeeze in next to him.

“Hey, Mabel,” he said while turning, and froze.

“Hiya, Pine Tree,” Bill grinned back at him.

Dipper stared at him in shock.

“Who… who’s your friend, Dipper?” Wendy asked carefully, her eyes wide as she stared at Bill.

He hadn’t told her about his meeting with Bill. He hadn’t told her anything, in fact. And right now he had no clue what to say. Bill intervened before he had the chance to think.

“Name’s Bill. But you can call me Bill,” he said with a shark-like grin.

“Um. Hi, Bill. I’m Wendy,” she said slowly, not taking her eyes off him.

“I’m Robbie,” Robbie offered, giving a doubtful little wave.

“Pleasure. How ya doin’, Pine Tree?” Bill said smugly, taking a gulp from Dipper’s beer.

Dipper shoved Bill to the side, forcing him to stand up while standing up himself. He grabbed him by the arm and dragged him a few feet away, Wendy and Robbie still staring at them both.

“What the fuck do you think you’re playing at?” Dipper hissed.

Bill jerked himself free of Dipper’s grip, brushing himself off indignantly. “What? I’m not allowed to go out?”

“You can’t just fucking waltz in here! Do you think Wendy and Robbie have forgotten what you did? How the fuck am I supposed to explain that?” he snapped.

“Calm down, Pine Tree. They’re clueless.”

“It’s not like you’ve been exactly subtle with your appearance, either. People could recognise you, easily,” Dipper said, crossing his arms.

“I wanted _you_ to recognise me,” Bill shrugged.

Dipper frowned at that. “Well, congratulations, I did. And Wendy and Robbie will, too, eventually. I mean, you couldn’t even go with a fake name?”

“No,” Bill snapped. “I’m Bill.”

“You’re an idiot, is what you are. Just – just get the fuck out of here. Leave me alone, dude.”

Bill was about to retaliate when he stopped, a grin forming again as he looked just over Dipper’s shoulder.

“What –“ he started, looking behind him. “Oh, no.”

“Heyyyy, Dipper….” Mabel trailed off as she saw Bill. She stared at him in silence. Then she looked at Dipper, who gave a curt nod.

“Oh my god…” she said quietly, looking around to see if anyone was staring. “What…”

“I was just telling him to leave, Mabel. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, you were telling me, were you? And since when exactly do you get to tell me what to do?” Bill sneered.

“Bill, seriously. Just fuck off,” Dipper snarled, taking a protective step in front of his sister.

Bill stretched to look behind Dipper, smirking at Mabel. “How’re you doing, Shooting Star?”

“Go away,” Mabel said with a scowl.

“Sheesh, is it a family thing to have a stick up your ass?” Bill said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re a dick, Bill,” Dipper snapped.

Bill shrugged. “Luckily for me, you like dicks.”

That left Dipper and Mabel both speechless. They gaped at Bill for a few moments, who threw his head back and laughed.

“Anyway, you two are no fun. I’ll catch you later. Toodles,” Bill then said abruptly, twirling his cane as he turned and sauntered out of the bar.

Dipper balled his fists, and Mabel put a hand on his shoulder. They looked at the door Bill had just left through for a few moments.

“This is super messed up,” Mabel then whispered, “but he’s actually pretty hot.”

Dipper groaned. “I _know_.”

“What does he think he’s doing, just showing up here?” Mabel then exclaimed.

“I don’t know. I think he’s doing it on purpose.”

“Well, obviously,” Mabel said, shaking her head.

“I think he just likes to fuck with me by showing up randomly when I don’t expect it. I think he thinks it’s funny,” Dipper said bitterly.

“God, what an asshole.”

They looked at where Wendy and Robbie were now talking again, having lost interest in the weird newcomer. The twins went to the booth and scooched back in.

“Hey, Mabel!” came the chorus from both Wendy and Robbie. “Aha, jinx,” Wendy then smirked.

“Fuck off,” Robbie grunted.

“Hey, Dipper? You have really weird looking friends,” Wendy then commented, raising her eyebrows.

Dipper laughed nervously. “Yeah, I don’t know. He likes to dress that way. Anyway, I’ll go get more beer.”

He had pretty much sobered up after the encounter, and desperately needed a drink. Mabel was visibly shaken, but tried her best to pretend like nothing had happened. He figured it’d be time to go home soon.

That’s what he’d figured.

Three hours later, he was well and drunk again, and so was Mabel.

“Yo, you know what’s weird?” Wendy suddenly snickered. “You guys remember that fuckin’ psycho dorito guy? His name was Bill, and he had one eye, right?”

Mabel and Dipper fell silent, dreading what was to come.

“That weird guy who came by was also called Bill, and he had a fucking eyepatch! How weird is that!” Wendy continued, laughing now.

Mabel and Dipper gave nervous laughs.

“Ha ha, yeah. That’s so weird,” Dipper said.

“So weird,” Mabel confirmed, grinning nervously. “Hey Robbie, how’s Tambry?”

“She’s good, yeah. Guys, I think – and I don’t think this is the booze talkin’ – but I think I might propose to her sometime soon,” Robbie said, grinning.

“Oh my god, dude! That’s awesome!” Wendy exclaimed, slapping him on the back.

The twins congratulated him and cheered, both relieved for the topic switch and genuinely happy for Robbie.

“Yeah, I mean we’ve been dating for like a decade now so maybe it’s time, y’know?” Robbie continued.

Wendy snorted. “Took you long enough. Ten years is a long time, dude.”

“Hey, at least we’re sure we want to stay together for the rest of our lives. Like we’re completely certain at this point, you know? We’ve been through hell and back together, and I think we’re ready.”

“That’s amazing, Robbie! I’m so happy for you,” Mabel beamed.

“Thanks, guys,” he smiled. “Anyway, I think I’m gonna head home. It’s like two o’clock and I have work in the afternoon.”

“Yeah, me too. Catch a cab together?” Wendy asked him, since they lived a few houses away from each other.

“Cool. Catch ya later, dudes,” Robbie said, standing up.

“Yeah, I’ll text you, okay? Bye guys,” Wendy said with a grin, stumbling a bit when she stood up.

“Okay. Text one of us when you get home, all right?” Mabel said.

“Bye, guys,” Dipper said, giving a little wave.

“Will do. Bye!” With that, Wendy and Robbie left the bar.

“We should head home, too. I’ve got like ten texts from Gruncle Stan asking what time we’re coming home,” Mabel said, tossing her phone on the table.

“Same. I’m… way too drunk to drive, though,” Dipper sighed, leaning his chin on his hand.

“Same,” Mabel sighed as well, chewing on her straw. “Do you have money for a cab?”

“Nope. Do you?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck.”

“Guess we’ll be walking,” Mabel groaned, standing up and swaying slightly.

“Guess we will,” Dipper said reluctantly, also standing and stumbling. “Jesus, I’m drunk.”

“Just don’t puke in anyone’s yard again, okay?” Mabel said when they stumbled out of the bar.

“That was one time! Why do you keep –“ he fell silent as they both regarded a sleek black car parked in front of them, the windows rolling down.

Dipper peered into the car, then grimaced. “Ugh!”

“You kids need a ride?” came Bill’s smug voice from inside the car.

“Oh, for god’s sake! Bill, leave us alone!” Mabel snapped, her speech slurred.

“Sheesh, I’m doing you two a favor. How long of a walk is it to the shack? Like two hours?”

Mabel and Dipper looked at each other, frowning.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Hop in, kids.”

Dipper laughed, leaning clumsily onto the car. “How dumb do you think we are, Bill? We’re not getting into a car you’re driving.”

“Okay, have fun walking. Oh, it’ll probably take longer, since you’re both piss-drunk. Anyway, don’t let that spoil the nice walk!” Bill snickered, rolling up the windows.

Mabel and Dipper stared at each other, frowning, as the car slowly started to drive away. Then Dipper threw his head down and sighed.

“Fuck.”

He started running after the car. “Hold up. Stop!”

Bill stopped, unlocking the doors. Dipper and Mabel reluctantly got inside, scowling.

“Good to see you’ve come to your senses.” Bill looked at them from the rearview mirror.

“I hate you so much,” Dipper grumbled, sliding down the seat and crossing his arms.

“No, you don’t,” Bill smirked.

Dipper didn’t have an answer for that.

“Bill, why are you stalking Dipper? Leave him alone,” Mabel pouted, her cheeks bright red from the drinks.

“When did you learn to drive, anyway,” Dipper scowled.

“Aren’t you two a pair of adorable little drunk twins. All grumpy and what not,” Bill laughed mockingly.

“Shut up,” they both snapped at the same time.

This made him laugh even harder. Mabel turned to Dipper.

“Dip, if we die tonight, it’s kinda your fault.”

“What? How! No one forced you to step into this car,” Dipper exclaimed.

“A maniacal dorito demon who’s tried to kill us before, multiple times, is driving. This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” Mabel mumbled.

“Don’t call me that,” Bill growled.

Everyone fell silent as Bill kept on driving. Soon, they were nearing the shack, to the twins’ relief.

“See? Your beloved little shithole,” Bill said smugly, parking in front of the shack.

“Right. Thanks for not killing us,” Dipper grumbled, getting out of the car.

“Thanks, dorito demon!” Mabel said, scrambling out of the car as well.

“Don’t call me that!” Bill called after them as they both practically ran inside.

Dipper slammed the door shut, and they stood by the window, watching the car take off. They breathed a sigh of relief.

“How were we not shitting our pants the entire time?” Dipper exclaimed.

“I dunno. Alcohol, probably. We’ll probably shit our pants tomorrow,” Mabel said with a yawn, making her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

“You’ll shit your pants right now,” came a grumble, and they both jumped to see Gruncle Stan standing in the doorway.

“Oh my god, Gruncle Stan! We’re sorry –“ Mabel started, but Stan cut her off.

“I sent you both like ten text messages – which takes me a lot of effort, by the way. I hardly even know how those smartphone things work! Neither of you could have replied?” Stan snapped, crossing his arms.

“I did!” Dipper protested. “I sent you a text saying everything’s okay.”

“Oh, you mean this?” Stan fished his phone from his pocket, showing them the text message Dipper had sent him.

‘WRE OAKEY XIBN JPME SIN’

Dipper looked at him blankly. “Yeah, see? We’re okay, coming home soon. What’s the problem?”

“Dipper, are you kidding me? How was I supposed to know what this shit meant? Anyway, I also called you both.”

Dipper and Mabel both checked their phones.

“Oh…. Sorry…” Dipper cringed.

“We’re home now, Gruncle Stan! And we’ve missed you!” Mabel exclaimed, hugging him.

“All right, all right. You get your drunk asses to bed,” Stan said, shaking his head.

“Good night,” they both said, and they went upstairs.

“What a weird day,” Mabel sighed, falling onto her old bed.

“You can say that again. Sleepover, I guess?” Dipper said, also falling onto his own bed.

“Sleepover,” Mabel breathed, already half asleep.

Dipper chuckled, feeling sleep taking him over as well.

 

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Mabel groaned, her head pounding and her mouth dry as cotton. The sunlight shone in her eyes as she opened them slowly, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, feeling sorry for herself. Suddenly she jolted upright.

“DIPPER!”

“What? What?” he spluttered, jolting up as well.

“Bill drove us home last night!”

He stared at her. “Oh, FUCK.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading, please don't forget to comment!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!!! sorry it took so long for this chapter to appear, i've been soooo busy with exams and school and tons of other bullshit. anyway, hope you like it!!
> 
> warning: mentions of self-harm, hints of abuse

_This is taking too long._

“You could have expected that. It’s not an easy task.”

_Not an easy task? For you? Maybe I overestimated you._

“Maybe if I had my full powers you would have had them the moment you asked.”

_Don’t push your luck. This is taking too long._

“So you said. What do you expect me to do? They don’t trust me. They’re not going to give me anything I ask for.”

_Then you shouldn’t ask._

“You mean I should just take?”

_Exactly._

“I don’t know if you forgot, but I can’t. I’m practically powerless, which you are well aware of.”

_And if you don’t do your job, you won’t get them back._

“Oh please, you don’t have to threaten me. You know that’s unnecessary.”

_This is taking too long._

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on it.”

_Don’t keep me waiting for much longer._

 

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“I can’t believe this.”

“How stupid are we?” Mabel groaned, closing her eyes. “I am so hungover…”

“How drunk were we to think that was a good idea? Jesus. And same.”

“Moooornin’, sunshines!” Gruncle Stan stuck his head around the door, grinning. “How are we feeling on this beautiful day?”

“Ugh,” the twins moaned.

“’Ugh’ is right! You two better get up soon, you told me you had lunch at Pacifica’s.”

“Oh, fuck,” Dipper muttered. “I completely forgot about that.”

“Don’t be out too long, I need help around the shack.”

“Gruncle Stan, I think… I think I probably have to…”

“Oh shit. Dipper, help your sister up.”

Dipper scrambled out of bed when he saw Mabel’s green face, and he and Stan both dragged her to the bathroom.

Gruncle Stan held her hair back as she retched into the toilet, Dipper stroking her back.

“That’s it. Let it all out, honey,” Stan said, shaking his head. “Why didn’t you keep an eye on her? You know she can’t hold her drink.”

“Gruncle Stan, by the time she’d arrived I was already piss drunk.” Fifteen minutes later, Mabel sat up and wiped her mouth, looking disgusted. Dipper handed her a glass of water and she washed out her mouth before taking a long drink.

“Remind me to never drink again,” she rasped.

“You and me both, sister,” Dipper said, shaking his head.

“So… you guys want any breakfast?”

Mabel turned her head and glared at Stan.

“We have lunch in an hour anyway. Better start getting dressed,” Dipper sighed, helping Mabel up.

“I don’t want Pacifica to see me like this,” she groaned, running her hands through her hair.

“Come on. Take a shower, I’ll get some good strong coffee brewing for you both,” Stan said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe I’ll add a shot of Mabel-juice to that.”

“Mabel, if you do that, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack,” Dipper said, raising his eyebrows.

“Maybe. Anyway, get out, I wanna shower,” Mabel mumbled.

“Hurry up, I want to get in there too.”

Mabel shooed them both out, and locked the door behind them.

 

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They were sitting in Pacifica’s back garden. It was beautiful weather and the sun’s heat made them all feel lazy. Pacifica had tied her long blonde hair in a bun at the top of her head to keep her neck as cool as possible. Mabel had tried the same but her hair tie snapped, so she had swept her hair to one side of her shoulder.

Dipper, in the meantime, was just glad he had short hair.

“Bonjour, y’all.”

“Oh my god,” Dipper muttered, earning him a glare from Mabel as Gideon stepped out into the garden.

“Hey, Gideon. What’s up?” she smiled.

“Nothing much. Same old, same old. How about you?”

“Poor Mabel’s a bit hungover,” Pacifica said with a smile.

“Hey! So is Dipper,” Mabel pouted.

“Yeah, but it isn’t as obvious with me,” Dipper smirked, taking a gulp from his coffee.

“It’s not fair,” his sister grumbled, pushing the scrambled eggs on her plate around.

Pacifica laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, it’s not so bad.”

Mabel lit up, and she grinned at Pacifica, avoiding Dipper’s obvious eyebrow-wiggles.

Suddenly, Dipper felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He frowned as he saw an unknown number.

“Who is it?” Mabel asked, taking a sip of orange juice.

“I don’t know. It’s unknown.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you gonna pick up?”

Dipper hesitated for a moment. He hated phone calls, never mind being called by a number he didn’t recognise. It always made him mildly anxious for some reason. He then shook his head, and picked up the call, holding his phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“How’s the hangover?”

Dipper leaped up from his chair, making everyone around him jump. He glanced at Mabel before striding off to the far end of the garden.

“How did you get this number?” he hissed into the phone.

Bill laughed. “I have my ways. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “What do you want this time?”

“Hey, no need to be so hostile. I drove you home last night, remember?”

Dipper grit his teeth. “Right.”

“Anyway, I want to meet up. Now.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I feel like it, that’s why.”

“Well, I can’t. I’m out.”

“Come on, Pine Tree. They’ll be fine.”

Dipper frowned. “What are you planning, anyway? You wanna grab ice cream together?” he snorted.

“That’s a great idea. I was thinkin’ coffee, but seeing the weather… you’ve always been so insightful, Pine Tree.”

“What… the fuck?”

“So, I’ll meet you at the mall in ten? Great!”

“Bill, what are –“

“If you don’t show up, I’ll be veeery disappointed!” Bill said in a sing-song voice before hanging up.

Dipper stared at his phone blankly for a few minutes before slowly heading back to the rest.

“Who was that?” Mabel asked immediately, standing up as she looked at Dipper with concern.

Dipper took a deep breath, his brows furrowed. “Who do you think?”

“What? How did he get your number?!”

“Wait, was that Bill?” Pacifica exclaimed.

Gideon looked at Dipper with wide eyes. The latter cleared his throat. “Yeah. Mabel, you can explain what happened last night. I need to go.”

“Where are you going?” Mabel asked, eyebrows raised.

“I’ll tell you later. Bye, guys.”

“Dipper, wait!” Mabel ran after him, grabbing his arm. “Are you insane? You can’t –“

“Mabel, why are we still afraid of him? He hasn’t done anything to harm us since he came back to life… I don’t know, maybe…”

“Maybe what? Maybe we could become pals? Dipper, come on!” she exclaimed.

“Not pals, necessarily, but… I don’t know. Forget it. Anyway, you’re one to talk, look at Gideon! He worked with Bill tons of times but you have no problem being friendly with him.”

Mabel crossed her arms. “That’s different, Dipper, and you know it.”

“Whatever. I need to leave.” He turned and started walking away again.

“Dipper!” Mabel called after him. “Wait!”

He ignored her, leaving the North West mansion.

 

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Dipper had his hands in his pockets, and was leaning against a tree. The sweat was trickling down his back and his forehead, and he knew he was getting a sunburn. He was just about to light a cigarette when he heard a familiar voice.

“Pine Tree! You showed up.”

Dipper lit his cigarette and nodded. “Yup.”

Bill grimaced, and snatched the cigarette out of Dipper’s mouth before stepping on it. “That’s bad for you.”

“Hey, what the fuck!” Dipper exclaimed angrily.

“You have no idea how good it feels to do that after having to watch helplessly for years,” Bill said with a grin.

“You fucker,” Dipper muttered, putting his hands back in his pockets.

“Now. Ice cream.”

Dipper had no idea what the hell was going on. He just followed Bill to the ice cream stand, accepted the cone that was given to him and followed him some more.

“You’re quiet, Pine Tree,” Bill remarked with a raised eyebrow.

“I… This is just weird,” Dipper admitted, feeling overwhelmed.

Bill rolled his eyes. “Follow me. There’s somewhere I want to go.”

Again, Dipper just trailed after him wordlessly, ice cream dripping onto his hand. Bill stopped in front of a motorcycle. He shrugged off the duffle bag that was around his shoulder, pulling out two helmets. He emptied out the ice cream cone into his mouth, before throwing the empty cone away and handing a helmet to Dipper.

The latter stared at the helmet with wide eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope.” Bill pulled his own helmet over his head.

“Bill, I’m not going to get myself killed.”

“What, you still don’t trust me, Pine Tree? After all this shit? How many times have I had the opportunity to kill you?” Bill seemed frustrated.

“That’s… not the point. Motorcycles are dangerous as hell. How long have you been riding one?”

“Ah, come on! I’m not a normal person, remember!” Bill’s voice was muffled.

“How could I forget,” Dipper muttered, before tossing away his cone and accepting the helmet. “Fuck me,” he groaned before pulling the helmet over his head.

He heard Bill mutter something but didn’t catch it. He clumsily got on the back of the motorcycle, and suddenly they were off. Dipper yelped and clung onto Bill’s waist, and he heard the latter cackle as they sped up.

Dipper clenched his eyes shut the entire time, and he was pretty sure Bill’s ribs were bruising from how hard he was squeezing them. After what seemed like an eternity, they started slowing down, and Dipper finally had the guts to open his eyes. He made a small sound of surprise. They were in the woods.

“You okay back there, Pine Tree?” Bill called.

“Y-yeah,” Dipper replied shakily.

They had slowed right down as Bill manoeuvred between the trees and whatever else was lying on the ground. Finally, he came to a stop in a clearing. Dipper leapt off the motorcycle, wiping his trembling sweaty hands on his jeans. Bill got off as well, pulling off his helmet.

“Fucking hell,” he remarked, touching his waist.

“Sorry,” Dipper said sheepishly, pulling his own helmet off as well. He took a deep breath, willing his fluttering heart to return to normal.

Bill shook his head, smirking as he ran a hand through his hair. He then leaned over and ruffled Dipper’s hair as well.

“Helmet hair,” he explained.

Dipper just tossed his helmet to the side, looking around.

“I’ve never been to this part of the woods before.”

It looked like something from a painting. There were little white flowers growing here and there in the bright-green grass. The clearing was surrounded with tall trees, the leaves a luscious green. In the middle of the clearing was a small lake, which narrowed into a stream on the far end. The water was clear and beautiful, the sun making it sparkle.

At the far end of the clearing was a little stone hut. It made Dipper pause.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing towards it.

Bill glanced. “Oh, that’s nothing. It’s hundreds of years old, no one lives in it.”

Dipper frowned. “Are you sure?”

Bill rolled his eyes, striding over to the hut. He went inside, turning around for Dipper to see.

“See? Empty. And it has been for a very long time.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

As Bill made his way back, Dipper sat down on the grass, staring at the view before him.

“How did you find this place?”

Bill sat down next to him. “Just something I stumbled upon a while ago. What d’you think?”

Dipper blinked a few times. “It’s… great.”

Bill leaned back with a self-satisfied grin. “I know, right.”

Dipper could already feel the sweat on his forehead. “Jesus, it’s hot.”

“Then let’s go for a swim.”

Before Dipper had the chance to react, Bill was already up, pulling off his shirt and kicking off his shoes. He seemed to hesitate before taking off his trousers as well. He turned back.

“Don’t want them to get wet,” he said with a shrug, before dumping them with the rest of his clothes.

Dipper was too distracted to care. Not by Bill’s body – well, maybe a bit – but by the marks that covered it. His entire body was covered with tattoos – also not the point, though. The weird symbols that covered his back, torso and upper arms were actually barely visible. That was because Bill was covered with cuts, bruises, and marks that looked worryingly like they were from a whip. 

Dipper gaped at him until Bill jumped into the water, disappearing briefly. Dipper stood up, taking off his T – shirt and shoes before slowly making his way to the water.

Bill’s head popped up from beneath the water, and he shook it, water spraying from his hair as he did so. He then grinned up at Dipper.

The latter didn’t take his trousers off. He figured they’d dry off fast enough in the sun. He jumped into the water as well, taken aback by how deep it was. His feet could barely touch the ground. The water was cool and lovely, and exactly what he needed. He took a breath before submerging himself, and he opened his eyes.

He could blurrily see the outline of Bill’s body, and a few silver fish darting around. After a few moments, he emerged, running his hands through his wet hair.

Bill and Dipper looked at each other for a few moments, not saying anything. Dipper spread his arms wide on the surface of the water, and leaned back a bit. They kept looking at each other, and Dipper felt a weird flutter in his stomach.

“Bill?”

“Hm?”

“What… what are those marks on your body? You’re covered with bruises and cuts…”

Bill straightened up, startling Dipper. “Oh, those? Those are nothing. Hey, look what I can do!”

He went underwater, and Dipper saw his legs stick up and falling backwards. He rolled his eyes and smiled. He hadn’t missed the subject change, though. He would keep that in mind for later.

“Bill, just about anyone who can swim can do an underwater handstand. It’s not that difficult,” he grinned when Bill emerged.

The latter frowned. “You do it then.”

“Fine.”

Dipper dove underwater, putting his hands on the ground. He stuck his legs up, but as soon as he had, they were pushed back down again.

He emerged, glaring at Bill who was looking nonchalant.

“Childish,” he said, shaking his head.

“Whatever,” Bill shrugged.

Dipper rolled his eyes, letting himself float on the water. He closed his eyes after a while, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time. The sun was hot in his face but the water was cool, and his fingers drew little patterns on the surface.

It was silent for a while. He could hear Bill splashing around a bit, and a few birds calling, but that was all. After a few minutes, he got the distinct feeling he was being watched. He cracked open an eye, and sure enough, Bill was a few feet away from him, staring at him with a weird expression.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” Bill then said, looking at the little pine tree on Dipper’s chest.

Dipper snorted. “I could say the same for you.”

Bill shrugged. “They’re wards.”

Dipper straightened up. “What kind?”

“Some are for protection, others are for keeping me in this body. Some were put there by me, others… well.” He didn’t finish his sentence. “Why a pine tree?”

Dipper glanced down at his chest. “As a sort of… memorial for what happened ten years ago here. And because, well, the pine tree is basically my thing, right? Even you seem to think so.”

Bill didn’t reply, just looked at him curiously. Dipper chuckled suddenly.

“Also, Wendy lost my hat, which was sort of my trademark. Which was pretty convenient, because I lost her hat as well.”

“Does Mabel have one?”

“Actually, she does. Guess what it is.”

The corners of Bill’s mouth turned upwards slightly. “A shooting star.”

“Yep. On her shoulder blade.”

Bill snorted, running his hands through his hair.

“Bill.”

“What?”

“Why are you doing all of this? Why… why are you being so nice to me? To us?”

Bill fidgeted, and avoided Dippers eyes as he seemed to think of a reply. “I don’t know. I guess I regret how I was ten years ago? Fuck, I don’t know. Who cares.”

It was Dippers turn to snort. “Never seen someone be so uncomfortable while trying to say something nice.”

Bill splashed water at him. “Fuck off.”

“You fuck off.” Dipper splashed water back at him.

This turned into a battle that lasted for about ten minutes, before Dipper was splutteringly begging for mercy as Bill was right in front of him and splashing continuously into his face.

He stopped, and they were both laughing breathlessly as Dipper tried to rub the water out of his eyes.

“Ugh, this is so weird,” he muttered, still laughing a bit.

“Why?” Bill asked sharply.

Dipper raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think?”

“Oh. Right.” Bill paused, and his hands went to the back of his head. He pulled at the band of his eyepatch, pulling it off and throwing it next to his clothes.

Dipper paused, not being able to help himself. The skin under the eyepatch was completely smooth, as if there had never been an eye there in the first place. Except for the large eye that was tattooed over the skin – one that looked like Bill’s actual eye.

“Huh,” he said quietly.

Bill didn’t reply, he just glanced at Dipper before diving under water. Dipper shook his head, feeling strange. He had a feeling that Bill was more naked now than he cared to admit. Not in the literal sense, but deeper than that… he’d shown his scars, his tattoo’s and now his… eye? Whatever it was that he usually hid.

Dipper sighed before pulling off his trousers and throwing them onto the ground. If Bill was showing him his scars, Dipper would show his own as well.

He swam over to Bill, who was leaning on a rock with his back to him. He turned as he heard Dipper approaching.

“Hey, Bill.”

“What?”

Dipper clambered onto the rock, sitting down and stretching his legs. He pointed at the scars covering his thighs.

“There. We’re even.”

Bill looked from the scars back to him. “Even?”

“You showed me something you always hide, I’m doing the same.”

“I think we hide them for different reasons, though.”

“Not the point.”

Bill narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scars properly. “What…?”

“I went through a pretty rough time after Weirdmageddon. Nightmares, panic attacks, the works. This was my way to vent. It went on for a couple of years, I have some on the inside of my arm –“ he lifted his arm to show – “but these are the worst.”

Bill blinked at him.

“I stopped as soon as Mabel found out. It was horrible, she was crying so much and just begging me to stop… it wasn’t worth it. And I realised I was doing more damage to myself than actually helping. So I quit.”

Bill was silent for a while. “So… these are basically caused by me?”

Dipper looked at him. He decided he wasn’t going to sugarcoat it, Bill should know what he’d done to them. “Basically, yeah.”

He slid back into the water, and Bill stayed where he was as Dipper swam around a bit.

“Look, it was a long time ago. It’s over,” Dipper then said.

Bill turned to him. “Pine Tree, I need to ask you something,” he then said abruptly.

Dipper blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Have you got the copies of the journals? I really need them. As soon as possible.”

Dipper frowned. “No, I don’t. We haven’t found them.”

“Fuck,” Bill hissed, leaning his head back.

“Why do you need them so bad?” Dipper asked suspiciously.

“I just want to know what’s in them, is all,” Bill replied, shaking his head.

“Well, I don’t have them. And just because… this is happening, doesn’t mean that I trust you.”

Bill rolled his eyes. “We’re practically naked.”

Dipper spluttered. “Not the point! You know what I mean, Bill.”

The latter suddenly turned on him, and pushed him to the edge of the lake, putting his hands on either side of Dipper’s head, effectively trapping him. Dipper’s eyes were wide as Bill’s face came near his. Bill narrowed his eyes.

“Have I given you reason not to trust me?” Bill hissed. Dipper shuddered when he felt the warm breath on his lips.

“N-not yet,” he replied, trembling slightly.

Bill gave a lop-sided grin, eyeing his face up and down. He then came closer, and Dipper shrank back, his heart stuttering – until Bill pushed himself back with his arms, laughing in that maniacal way of his as he created distance between them.

“You’re as red as a tomato, Pine Tree!” he called, still laughing.

Dipper scowled, disappearing under water and wishing he could breathe, because in that moment he’d have liked to stay there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, i'll try and post the next chapter as soon as possible! don't forget to comment and let me know what you think! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYY GUYS omg ive been so busy im sorry. ive been to paris and had tons of other shit going on blabalabla  
> ANYWAY hope this was worth the wait.   
> by the way, bill thinking in caps is directly quoted from a q&a he ('officially') did on reddit. its honestly great, you guys should check it out. heres the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/comments/315yoy/im_bill_cipher_i_know_lots_of_things_ask_me/   
>  xxx

Dipper was lying on his belly in the grass, waiting for his jeans to dry up. Bill had pulled his own trousers back on and was lying next to him, on his back. Dipper was growing increasingly tired, and he yawned as he absent-mindedly plucked a flower.

It was comfortably silent, and Dipper had the feeling that slowly but surely he was getting used to this. To Bill.

“Your phone’s ringing again,” the latter said lazily, his hands behind his head.

Dipper felt a pang of guilt. He knew it was Mabel, and he knew she was worrying her brains out right now. Especially since he hadn’t let her know anything. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

“Just let it ring.”

Bill shrugged. Dipper turned onto his stomach, looking at Bill, who cracked his eye open.

“What?”

“I never actually got the chance to ask you. What the hell is going on in my dreams?” Dipper demanded.

Bill grimaced. “Pine Tree –“

“No, Bill. Stop avoiding the subject. Answer me.”

Bill sat up slowly, his eyebrow raised at Dipper’s tone. “Or what?”

Dipper flushed red, sitting up as well. “Don’t. Just tell me.”

Bill smirked, then shook his head. “Fine. If you really must know – something’s hunting you.”

“What?” Dipper spluttered.

“Yeah. That’s all I can tell you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Who? Why?”

“Pine Tree. Like I said, that’s all I can tell you. Something’s hunting you, and I’m trying to stop it.”

Dipper stared at Bill in disbelief, who went to lie down again and closed his eye as if they’d just discussed the weather. His eyepatch was back on.

“Bill –“

“Call your sister. We need to be heading back. I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”

Dipper shook his head, reaching over to his bag to get his phone. He shot another glance at Bill before dialing Mabel’s number. It only rang once.

“DIPPER! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?” she shrieked immediately.

He held the phone away from his ear, frowning as Bill snickered. When Mabel was done yelling, he brought the phone back to his ear.

“Hey, Mabel. I’m fine. I’m about to come home.”

“You didn’t answer any of my questions!”

“I’ll answer them later. Just stop worrying, okay? I’ll be home shortly.”

“…All right then. Call me when you’re almost home.”

“Will do. Bye.”

Dipper hung up the phone and grunted. “Guess it’s time to go.”

Bill stood up and pulled the rest of his clothes on. Dipper sighed, doing the same. Bill raised an eyebrow as he passed Dipper his helmet, and the latter reluctantly pulled it on. A few moments later, they were off again.

 

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Bill dropped Dipper off at the shack. He slid off the motorcycle, again having left bruises on Bill’s ribcage, and pulled off his helmet.

“I hate that thing,” he stated shakily.

Bill snorted, pulling off his own helmet as well. “You’re just a pussy.”

“Whatever,” Dipper replied, shaking his head. “If you weren’t so reckless maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“Like I said. You’re a pussy.”

They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Dipper suddenly felt awkward, not sure how he was supposed to say goodbye. Especially after how weird the afternoon had been. Did he give Bill a hug? Shake his hand?

Bill leaned forward, and those thoughts disappeared from Dipper’s mind. All he could seem to focus on was Bill’s mouth, twisted into a lopsided grin. His breath stopped in his throat as Bill leaned closer, staring at him intensely.

_Oh my god is this actually happening what the fuck do I even want this yeah I actually do oh my god that’s so fucked up._

Bill blinked at him, raising his eyebrows before ruffling Dipper’s hair and moving away.

“See ya later, Pine Tree.”

He pulled on his helmet and rode off a few seconds later. Dipper thought he could hear distant cackling.

He stood in shock, staring at the empty space Bill had left behind. “Jesus,” he muttered, running his hands through his hair.

He had no idea what had just happened – or hadn’t just happened – but he knew that he had wanted it to happen.

Dipper was so fucked.

 

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_You will be punished._

“Calm your tits. I didn’t say anything.”

_You said too much. You will be punished._

“I didn’t give him any actual information. Stop overreacting.”

_You did. You told him I was hunting him. You realise I’m not?_

“You could have fooled me.”

_I am testing him. Trying to see what he’s capable of. Or I was. Until you couldn’t keep your mouth shut._

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

_Maybe I will start hunting him. You haven’t done anything I’ve asked of you. I don’t have the journals._

“Like I said, you’ll get them.”

_Maybe I don’t want them anymore. Maybe I want something else._

“…like what?”

_Maybe I want the boy._

“What could you possibly want him for? He’s useless.”

_Yes. I want the boy._

“No, you don’t. He’s not powerful, as you seem to think.”

_He managed to thwart your plans ten years ago._

“That – that was different. It was a one-time thing. Believe me, he’s not standing in your way.”

_I’d rather not take the risk. Also, I want to have some fun._

“If your fun means torturing people – which I’m assuming it does – haven’t you had your fill of me? Seriously, toying with him as well is just excessive.”

_Yes, it is fun to deprive you of your powers. Also to leave those marks on your flesh-prison. But you are a demon. A human boy is so much more vulnerable, capable of feeling so much more pain._

“Look,  you can’t even actually hurt him. You’re stuck in the Mindscape, remember? Most you could do is haunt his dreams.”

_I can hurt you, remember?_

“I’m different. You know that. We’re connected.”

_So maybe I’ll connect with him._

“How?”

_You._

 

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“I can’t believe you spent the entire day with Bill. What the actual hell,” Mabel said, shaking her head.

Dipper shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to.”

“What did you guys even do? What did you talk about?”

“I don’t know, tons of things… He told me something’s hunting me in my dreams.”

“What?! How…?”

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. Cryptic bastard.”

“Well… did he tell you how to protect yourself? How to fight?” Mabel asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

“No… but I think he’s got it covered. I mean, nothing’s happened to me, right? Because he kept protecting me. I think I might be okay.”

Dipper could hardly believe he was saying it, but he felt it was true.

“Dipper, come on. You can’t seriously be putting your trust in him?” his twin exclaimed.

He shrugged again. “Maybe I am, Mabes. I don’t know, he seems to have changed. I mean, he’s still kind of a dick, but… not a homicidal maniac.”

Mabel stared at him for a long time, narrowing her eyes. Dipper flushed under the scrutiny, avoiding her eyes. Mabel gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.

“What? What?” Dipper demanded.

“You… you’re starting to get feelings for him!” she practically screeched. “Dipper, that is so messed up!”

“What? No I’m not! Mabel, come on!”

“Dippingsauce, you can’t lie to me. Don’t even try,” Mabel growled, pointing a finger at him.

“Mabel, seriously. Don’t be ridiculous, he’s a fucking demon!” Dipper exclaimed, desperately trying to convince himself of his own words. “I’m not an idiot.”

Mabel leaned back, crossing her arms. “Hmm. If you say so,” she said finally. “But I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Both of you.” With that, she pointed two fingers at her own eyes and then at him.

Dipper snorted nervously. “Come on, Mabel.”

She glared at him for a few moments more before she stood up. “Let’s go help Gruncle Stan.”

He got up and followed after her into the gift shop. Stan raised an eyebrow.

“Look who finally decided to show up.”

“Yeah, sorry. I was busy,” Dipper said, scratching his head.

“Just take over the cash register. Mabel, the artifacts need dusting off. I’m gonna go entertain some customers.”

Mabel and Dipper shot each other a glance, silently agreeing not to say anything. Dipper sighed, going to stand behind the till. He missed when Wendy still worked there. Obviously she couldn’t keep working at the Mystery Shack forever, having quit the job about seven years ago.

He decided to text her and see if she could drop by. After a few uneventful minutes, he was grinning at his screen. Wendy said she could come by in about fifteen minutes, and that she hoped Stan wouldn’t chain her up there.

Dipper put his phone away quickly when he saw a group of customers enter the gift shop. While he was dealing with them, he heard his phone buzz a couple of times. He ignored it, assuming it was just Wendy telling him she was on her way. After they’d left, he picked up his phone. Like he thought, there was a message there from Wendy telling him she’d just left. But there was also another message from a number he hadn’t saved in his phone.

He opened the message curiously.

**-DO YOU LIKE COFFEE???**

He frowned. “What the fuck?” he muttered, flinching when a little girl in the shop gasped at him. Her mother shot him an angry look and left. He shook his head. Whatever.

**-Who is this?**

He assumed it was a mistake, someone who had texted the wrong – wait.

**-WHO DO YOU THINK IT IS PINE TREE**

Of course.

**-I didn’t save your number in my phone. And why are you texting in all caps?**

**-BECAUSE I THINK IN ALL CAPS**

Dipper paused. That didn’t surprise him.

**-YOU DIDN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION**

**-Yes, I like coffee. Why?**

**-WE’RE GETTING COFFEE TOMORROW**

Dipper felt his heart fluttering. He mentally slapped himself. This had to stop before it had properly begun.

**-Why?**

There was a pause. His phone was silent for a couple of minutes, and he felt himself starting to panic. Was that too harsh? It was just coffee. What if Bill was upset with him now? Oh god he really didn’t want that. Oh fuck he messed up he messed up oh god fuck –

**BECAUSE I WANT TO. WHY DOES THAT NEED A SPECIFIC REASON??**

Dipper sighed in relief.

“Dipperrrrr! What’s up!”

Wendy came sauntering in, giving him a smirk. Dipper stuffed his phone in his pocket.

“Oooh, who were you texting? Hiding your phone from me, hmm?” Wendy laughed, leaning over the counter.

“No, nothing. No one,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Is it a guy?” Wendy pressed on, poking the jar of eyeballs.

“No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, clearing his throat which lead to him having a coughing fit.

Wendy looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Very convincing, dude. Anyway, whatever. If you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t. Where’s your other half?”

He frowned at her calling Mabel that. “Don’t say that, that sounds weird. She’s in the museum, cleaning up the artifacts.”

“Ah. Stan’s got you guys slaving away again?”

Dipper chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that. We owe it to him to help around. And we haven’t really been doing it.”

“No, I know, dude. That old guy deserves some rest. Where is he, anyway? He’s gonna kick me out when he sees I’m talking to you. That, or give me some task to do here.”

“I don’t know. I think he might be talking to Ford. They haven’t seen each other in ages.”

Their conversation got interrupted by Dipper’s phone buzzing again. Wendy smirked at him, and Dipper flushed red.

“You’re not going to read it?” she asked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Nah, I’ll read it later,” he replied, trying to shrug it off.

The phone buzzed again. And again. Finally, after the third buzz, Dipper made a frustrated noise and fished his phone out of his pocket. Wendy grinned at him as he unlocked it.

**-HELLO????**

**-HELLO??????????????**

**-HELLO??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

“Fuck’s sake,” Dipper mumbled.

“Needy, is he?” Wendy smirked.

“Apparently,” he frowned. He froze, looking up at her. “No, wait, I meant –“ he gave up trying to talk his way out when he saw Wendy’s face.

“It’s fine, dude. I need to get going, I’m meeting the gang in town. Catch ya later,” she laughed as she started walking away.

“Oh, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Wendy winked, and left before Dipper had the time to respond.

He sighed, shaking his head, and turned back to his phone.

**-Coffee tomorrow is fine.**

**-I’LL PICK YOU UP AT TEN**

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, putting his phone back in his pocket as customers approached the till.

He was in way too deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback is much appreciated!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy guys, been away again for a while. hope this chapter makes up for it. it has sex stuff. but also angst stuff. basically, the plot thickens. enjoy!!

“You’re up early,” Stan remarked, looking up from his newspaper.

“Yeah. I’m meeting Robbie for some coffee,” Dipper lied as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Huh,” Stan said. “Pancakes?”

Dipper smiled. “Please.”

Stan stood up, tossing his newspaper on the table as he went to the kitchen. Dipper yawned, sitting down as Gruncle Stan came back with a plate of pancakes. Dipper gave him a grateful grin as he pulled the plate towards himself.

“So… is it a date?” Stan asked casually as he sat back down.

Dipper froze, looking up. “With Robbie?”

Stan shook his head. “Kid, I know Robbie’s working until at least five. Wendy’s constant talking makes me pick up random unwanted facts about her friends all the time.”

Dipper looked down at his pancakes, wordlessly drizzling some maple syrup over them.

“So,” Stan continued, “Is it?”

“Uhm… I don’t know. Maybe,” Dipper replied nervously.

“Anyone I know?”

Dipper chewed his pancakes vigorously before answering. “No way. Nope. Absolutely not.”

Stan raised an eyebrow, and shrugged. “Sure, kid.”

Dipper fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly sent a text.

**-Keep your helmet on when you’re here!!!!**

**-DUH**

He breathed a sigh of relief before gulping down more food. “So what are your plans for today?” he asked, desperate for a subject change.

Stan took a gulp from his coffee. “To be honest, not much. Tend the shack, catch up on Ducktective… hey, why don’t you, me and your sister go fishing this evening? We haven’t really done anything together since you got here.”

Dipper smiled. “Yeah, that’s a great idea.”

His phone buzzed.

**-I’M HERE**

“I need to get going. I’ll be home before dinner.”

“All right, kid. See you later.”

Dipper stood up, and Stan put a hand on his shoulder before he could walk to the door.

“Dipper, listen… you know you can tell me anything, right? I won’t ever judge ya. There’s no need to be ashamed of anything when it comes to me.”

Dipper swallowed, a lump suddenly appearing in his throat. “I… I know, Gruncle Stan. Thank you.”

“No problem. Have a good time, kid,” Stan said gruffly, before giving him a one-armed hug.

Dipper left the house with a heavy knot of guilt in his stomach. It pretty much dissolved when he saw Bill’s slender figure sitting on his motorcycle. He walked over to him, trying to wipe the dumb grin off his face. Bill wordlessly handed him a helmet, and Dipper took it, putting it on. He couldn’t see Bill’s face through the darkened helmet, which was good, he supposed, in case Gruncle Stan was watching through the window.  

He got onto the motorcycle and they drove off.

 

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Bill seemed different. Twitchier, more on edge. Dipper stared at him in silence for a while as he sipped his coffee. Bill just stared at the table, drumming his fingers, bouncing his leg, fiddling with his eyepatch and crumpling up empty sugar packets. After about five minutes of silence, Dipper had had enough. He put his hand on Bill’s, which caused the latter to freeze and look up.

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked.

Bill blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re being really… nervous. Is something wrong?”

Bill snorted. “Nervous? Please. I don’t get nervous.”

Dipper glanced at his hand, which was still on Bill’s.

“Okay. But something’s up,” he stated.

Bill also looked down at their hands, seeming to realise they were still touching. He pulled away, and grinned brightly.

“Nothing’s up. Know any jokes?”

Dipper blinked, taken aback. “Um… what?”

“Jokes. Know any? Any good ones?”

Dipper swallowed, thinking. “Actually, I have one. It’s not very good though.”

“Don’t care. Let’s hear it.”

Dipper cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “All right… A neutron walks into a bar.”

He stopped, glancing up at Bill who was staring at him as if he was the only person in the room.

“So. A neutron walks into a bar,” he continued. “And gets a drink. The neutron then asks the bartender ‘how much do I owe you?’ And… and the bartender says ‘for you, neutron, no charge.’”

Bill continued staring at him.

Dipper looked at his coffee and shrugged. “Like I said, it’s not very good.”

Suddenly, Bill started chuckling. Dipper looked up, and was met with a warm gaze.

“That is the kind of joke I would expect you to know,” Bill stated, still chuckling as he took a sip from his coffee.

Dipper frowned. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Bill shook his head. “Good. Definitely. Anyway, my turn. Except it’s a riddle.”

Dipper perked up. He was pretty good at riddles. “All right, go ahead.”

“I have no mouth but I can tell you a name. I have no eyes but I can show you the years I have seen. I have no mind but I have memory.” Bill leaned forward with a smirk. “What am I?”

Dipper blinked, frowning as he turned the words over in his head. He took a sip from his coffee. And another one. Bill didn’t take his eyes off him the entire time. Finally, Dipper smiled and set his cup down.

“No mouth but it can tell, so it has to be written. No eyes but it’s seen years… so it must be visible how long it’s existed… No mind but it has memory… so it must be something that holds a lot of other people’s memories.”

“So? What is it?” Bill pressed on.

“A gravestone,” Dipper then said smugly.

Bill leaned back with raised eyebrows. “Good. Although it was kind of easy.”

Dipper frowned. “Hey, fuck that. It wasn’t that easy.”

Bill laughed, taking a gulp from his coffee. “Whatever. Want another one?”

“Yes,” Dipper replied immediately.

Bill laughed again before continuing. “This is a longer one. Also consisting of bullshit and religious nonsense, but let’s ignore that.”

“All right, let’s hear it.”

“All right. Imagine there’s a heaven and a hell. Contrary to popular belief, they both look, sound, and even smell exactly the same. There’s absolutely no way to figure out which is which. Now, in this imaginary heaven and hell, there are angels and demons. They also look and sound exactly alike.

The angels and demons can travel back and forth between heaven and hell as much as they like. So say you were in heaven, you could encounter a demon, without knowing the difference. There’s just one little thing. Angels always tell the truth, and demons always lie.”

Bill gave a smirk at that before continuing.  

“So imagine you die. You end up in either heaven or hell, you don’t know which one. Now, what is the one question you can ask either an angel or a demon to figure out where you are? The question has to have a yes or no answer. Remember, determining whether or not you’re speaking to an angel or a demon isn’t important because your location would still be unknown.”

Bill leaned back, looking smug. Dipper frowned.

“Couldn’t I just ask ‘am I in heaven’? No, wait… if I am, a demon would say no and an angel would say yes… but I wouldn’t know which one of the two it would be.”

“Exactly,” Bill said, finishing his coffee. “And vice versa.”

Dipper ran a hand over his face. “Fuck.”

Bill laughed. “How ‘bout I let you think it over. Let’s get out of here.”

Dipper quickly downed his coffee, his mind still working. He paused. “Wait, where are we going?” It couldn’t be over already?

Bill held the door open for him which gave Dipper a flutter in his stomach he ignored.

“We’re going to see a movie. That’s what people do, right?”

Dipper hurriedly followed him. “Hold on, hold on. I need to ask you something.”

“If it’s about the riddle, I’m not giving you any –“

“No, it’s not about that. Bill, hang on a sec.”

Bill turned around, stopping and looking at Dipper impatiently. “What?”

Dipper turned red, suddenly having lost his courage. He looked down at his feet. “Uh… is this… is this a date?”

Bill raised his eyebrows before pulling Dipper away from the street and out of the way of people hurrying around them. He turned on him again.

“Do you want it to be?”

Dipper swallowed, trying to detect any kind of emotion in the question. He couldn’t find any. Fuck it.

“Yeah.”

“Then it is,” Bill grinned without missing a beat. He started walking again.

Dipper stared after him for a few moments, processing what had just happened. Then he quickly went after him, not even bothering to hide his grin.

 

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Dipper took a long drink of his coke as he tried to focus on the movie. It wasn’t that interesting, to be honest – at least compared to the person sitting next to him. Bill officially confirming this to be a date had changed things. Dipper didn’t feel like he had to be weird about wanting to hold his hand, or run a hand through his hair, or kiss him… not that he was doing any of that stuff. He hadn’t completely mustered up the courage. But seeing Bill’s slender silhouette sitting there in the dark, seeing the way his chest gently rose up and down with every breath… even the way he took a cautious bite of popcorn before pulling a face and setting the box on the floor – made things very tempting. He pondered about using the yawn-technique, then decided against it. Way too cheesy.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Pine Tree,” Bill muttered, not taking his eye off the movie.

Dipper startled, immediately turning his head back to the screen. He cautiously moved his hand toward Bill’s, hoping that the latter would notice and take hold of his hand himself. But he didn’t, of course. Fuck’s sake. He shook his head, mentally kicked himself, and put his hand on Bill’s.

The latter glanced down at their hands with a raised eyebrow, and Dipper fought the urge to pull his hand away again. Then Bill turned his hand around and threaded his fingers through Dipper’s. Dipper fought a huge smile as he turned his head back to the screen. This was so pathetic. It had been ages since he’d lasted dated, which wasn’t even the weirdest part. The weirdest part was that this was Bill. _Bill_.

He froze as he felt a light squeeze in his hand, and he looked to see Bill staring at him. Dipper completely forgot about anything he was thinking about, and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He unconsciously leaned forward, and before he knew it, Bill had closed the gap between them.

Time stopped. Bill was kissing him. _Bill was kissing him._ It took him a few moments to react, but then he did, giving the kiss everything he had and more. Bill ran his hands through Dipper’s hair, settling at the back of his head and pulling him closer. Dipper happily complied, wincing at the slight nip of teeth on his lip. It hurt, but he wanted more of it. So much more.

They kissed for what seemed like hours – and Dipper didn’t even care if they looked like horny teenagers while doing it. Finally, Bill pulled back and licked his lips. Hunger emanated from him, Dipper could feel it. He shuddered.

“Pine Tree,” Bill muttered, “do you want to come over to my place?”

Dipper gulped. “Yes,” he said shakily. “Yes.”

 

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Dipper was surprised by the quality of Bill’s home. He hadn’t known what to expect, to be honest, but it wasn’t this. It was a lovely house, much nicer than anything he’d ever lived in. The inside was pretty bare, though. There was a sofa in the living room, and a table, but that was pretty much it. No TV, no ornaments, nothing. It would surprise Dipper if Bill even had any food in the fancy looking fridge. But Bill had a bed room, with a king size bed. And that was all that mattered at the moment. Once there, they stood opposite each other in silence for a few moments. Then Bill grabbed Dipper by his collar and kissed him harshly, biting at his lip again. A moan escaped Dipper – fuck, he really liked that. Bill gave a deep-throated chuckle before shoving him onto the bed.

Dipper felt himself completely surrender as Bill leaned over him, kissing and licking and biting at his neck. Bill’s hands roamed over his body, climbing up into his shirt and scraping his nails along his sides. Dipper squirmed under him, leaning up to kiss him again. He moaned again when he felt Bill’s hard-on against his own, and suddenly needed Bill to take his clothes off. He _needed_ it. Right now.

He started to work on the buttons of Bill’s shirt, before the latter growled and tore the shirt apart himself. Dipper stared at his body, still battered and bruised and tattooed. And so fucking beautiful. He made a note to ask about the wounds later. Now he just wanted to touch every part of Bill’s body that his hands allowed.

Bill pulled Dipper forward and yanked his shirt off him as well before pushing him back down. Dipper ran his hands along Bill’s back and sides. His nails traced his spine. He froze when he felt Bill wince.

“No, keep going,” the latter growled into his ear.

Dipper obliged, scraping his nails ever so softly over Bill’s back as he grinded into him.

“Harder,” Bill grunted.

Dipper pressed his nails a little harder, still afraid to hurt him. Bill’s hand went to Dipper’s crotch and _squeezed_. “I said harder and I meant harder,” Bill panted, glaring down at Dipper.

So Dipper obliged. He dug his nails into Bill’s back, making long scrapes along it which only added to the wounds. Bill was shaking and moaning above him. The sight was almost too much to bear.

Finally, Bill leaned up, undoing Dipper’s and his own trousers in a flash, before pulling Dipper’s off. He crept down, biting and licking at the inside of Dipper’s thigh. The latter squirmed and groaned, grabbing hold of Bill’s hair. He finally tore off his underwear before pulling off his own trousers and underwear as well.

He crept back up, kissing Dipper again as their cocks rubbed against each other. Dipper reached down and took hold of Bill’s cock, which resulted in a long hiss from the latter. He did the same with Dipper, and bit his lip so hard Dipper tasted blood.

“Fuck fuck oh fuck,” Dipper whispered desperately.

He thrust himself forward into Bill’s palm, and used his other hand to create more scratches along his back and arms. Bill continued kissing him hungrily, his tongue lapping up the drops of blood he had caused.

Suddenly, Bill slapped away Dipper’s hand and grabbed both their cocks with his. Dipper’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he thrust forward. Bill moved to kissing and biting his neck, leaving painful bruises. Dipper was sure they’d still be there tomorrow. He also didn’t care. Bill continued moving his hand and Dipper was pretty sure he’d lose it any moment.

Bill ran his free hand along Dipper’s chest, digging his nails into him. Dipper moaned and reached up for Bill’s neck, pulling him down, their chests touching. Dipper pressed kisses into his neck, relishing the fact that whenever he bit, Bill would let out a moan.

Bill reached for Dipper’s hair, and pulled – hard. Dipper hissed, knowing he was close. Bill moved his hand faster, and Dipper could feel himself starting to lose it.

He gasped as he finally came, barely registering Bill biting into his shoulder as he came as well.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck,” Dipper panted, seeing stars.

Bill collapsed on top of him, panting heavily as well. Dipper ran his fingertips gently along Bill’s back, feeling the scratches he’d made and the ones that had already been there. Bill turned his head sideways, pressing a kiss to Dipper’s neck.

The latter shuddered at the touch, sighing and closing his eyes. They were silent for a while, just breathing in each other’s scent. Finally, Bill rose up, glancing down at the mess on their abdomens with a look of disgust.

“Fuck, sex is disgusting.”

Dipper laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, thanks, Bill. Just what I wanted to hear right now.”

Bill looked up at him and smiled. He leaned over his bed and grabbed a towel, cleaning them off. He lay next to Dipper, and the latter cuddled up to him, closing his eyes.

“Ugh, I want to fall asleep but I’m going fishing later,” he mumbled.

Bill snorted. “Fishing?”

“Yeah, with Gruncle Stan and Mabel,” Dipper said sleepily.

He felt Bill thread his fingers through his hair, and gave a content smile. Suddenly, Bill went very still.

“Pine Tree, look at me.”

Dipper frowned, looking up. Bill kept on looking at him as he slowly removed his eyepatch.

Dipper stared curiously, and froze when he saw what was happening. A large eye appeared on the skin under the eyepatch in white light.

“What’s happening?” Dipper asked, alarmed.

Bill sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Before Dipper had time to react, Bill grabbed his hand and put it over the eye. Dipper screamed as he felt something burn his palm, and he tried to pull back, but Bill was too strong. It kept on burning and burning, it felt like his skin was being melted off. His vision began to blur.

“You won’t remember this,” he vaguely heard Bill say.

The pain seemed to spread through his arm like an electric shock, spreading through his whole body, from his head to his toes. He felt himself start to shudder and convulse, but still, Bill kept hold of his wrist.

The last thing he heard before he blacked out was high-pitched, shrieking laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading babes, let me know what you thoughttttt!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooo my lovelies, i wrote this while on my seventh??? glass of wine so please excuse any typo's and if you see any, please let me know so i can fix it. anyway hope you like this one. plot stuff at the beginning and sex stuff at the end.

Dipper was feeling weird. A part of him was incredibly happy, giddy beyond belief, about what had happened earlier. Another part of him was feeling guilty and freaked out that it had happened. He’d had sex with Bill fucking Cipher. The demon that had been terrorizing their family for years. But somehow it was getting easier and easier to forget that.

He had changed. That much was obvious. Maybe it was the human body, maybe it was the fact that he’d been frozen for ten years and he’d had time to think things over. Dipper didn’t know. And right now, he also didn’t care.

Everything was good as Bill dropped him off at the shack before leaving with a smirk and a quick kiss. Dipper had to sneak inside the house and change his T-shirt for a high-collared shirt to cover up the marks on his neck.

Everything was still good as he, Mabel and Gruncle Stan were sitting in the little boat, Mabel trying to catch fish with her hands because she didn’t want to harm them with hooks, and Dipper and Stan laughing their asses off.

They were wearing the hats Stan had made for them when they were twelve.

Dipper was happier than he had been in a long time. He gazed at Mabel and Stan cringing at each other’s bad jokes, at the water that had turned into a mirror of the pink and orange canvas of the sky. He thought about Bill, about the soft kisses he had woken Dipper up with, which had saved him from being home late. He thought about the moment they came together, sparks flying and stars shining and everything burning, but in a good way. In the best way.

Everything was good.

Except.

Except for the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that this was somehow the calm before the storm. That this was temporary, and things would crash soon. Crash horrendously.

Dipper shook his head, and did his best to ignore the feeling. He was being paranoid. He just wasn’t used to feeling this happy.

He was snapped out of his train of thoughts – literally – as Mabel snapped her fingers in front of his face.

“Uhh, earth to Dipper? Helloooo? What’re you zoning out about?”

Dipper blinked, before turning to her with a smile. “I was just… just thinking. About how great this is.”

Mabel and Stan shot each other a glance before eyeing him suspiciously.

“I assume it went well on the date, then?” Stan snorted.

“Yeah, who was the date with, Dip? Gruncle Stan said you didn’t mention a name,” Mabel said slowly, looking at Dipper with narrowed eyes.

“Uh…” Dipper faltered. He didn’t want to ruin this by telling them. He knew they’d completely lose it. “I’ll tell you some other time. It’s not important.”

Mabel shut her eyes, and she knew. He knew she did. She took a deep breath, slowly letting it out again. “Fine. Some other time, then,” she then said carefully.

Dipper avoided her eyes, instead digging around in the bag Stan had brought. “Mabes, you brought your camera, right? We should take a picture.”

Mabel nodded, seeming to compose herself. She smiled, and he knew that she’d stored the situation away for later. He was grateful for that.

“Yeah, I brought it. You’re right.”

“Kids, come on, I don’t want my picture taken…” Stan started to protest, but the twins were having none of it.

Mabel had claimed her camera back from Dipper after a few group pictures, and was constantly snapping random shots of them. Then of herself with a fish in her bare hand, grinning widely as Stan and Dipper were going nuts in the background.

Stan insisted on taking a picture of the two of them, and they both pulled the most hideous face they could. Stan managed to catch a few shots before losing it, and they all fell into a heap, laughing hysterically at the pictures.

Everything was good.

 

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Dipper was dreaming. Wait, no – he was in the Mindscape. Bill wasn’t there, which was confusing. He looked around, and it seemed that wherever he looked, things popped up. Normal things – trees, bushes, flowers – but only when he looked. He had the distinct feeling that whenever he wasn’t looking, whatever was there melted away into black nothingness.

This was proven by the fact that when he turned completely around, a mansion suddenly stood in front of him which definitely hadn’t been there before. As his gaze swept over it, the doors swung open, inviting him in.

He frowned, his shackles raised but his curiosity peaked. He looked around, and when he looked back at the mansion, a path had formed, starting from his feet and leading towards the door. He blinked, and the path glowed up, the only bright thing in the otherwise grey landscape. A gold light was emanating from it, so bright that Dipper had to shield his eyes. The light seemed to dim down, and when he lowered his hand, the path was clearly less blinding. Whoever was doing this was trying to do things in his favour, then. That could only be one person – or rather, demon – and Dipper grinned.

“Bill?” he called, but he didn’t get an answer.

Only a soft whispering in his ears that couldn’t be explained by anything other than the sudden breeze that had appeared. Dipper shook his head, smiling as he started following the path.

“This is a bit of an overkill, Bill,” Dipper murmured, still smiling, even as he felt everything behind him melt into nothingness again.

When he reached the open doors of the mansion, he peered inside, hesitating slightly. The inside of the mansion lit up, the same golden hue that had emanated from the path. It appeared to be a ballroom, and if he listened very closely he could hear faint music. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

“A huge overkill,” he said loudly, before stepping into the room.

Music and light erupted from everywhere, startling him into covering his ears and closing his eyes.

“Too much!” he yelled into the room, and the music turned more quiet, the light less bright.

He opened his eyes again, looking around the golden lit room. Candles had appeared from nowhere, floating in midair. The music was still playing, a pleasant sound. There was no one else in the room, though.

Dipper felt a sliver of unease creep into his being. This… this was weird. He wasn’t sure this was Bill’s style.

As soon as the thoughts entered his mind, the room turned completely dark and quiet. He stood, frozen, holding his breath and listening for the smallest sound. Suddenly, there was a golden glow again – lighting up a stairway. The room was still silent and dark, save for the stairway, which seemed to be beckoning him forth. Dipper swallowed.

“Bill?” he said quietly.

Nothing. Nothing but the glowing stairway, and choking, blinding emptiness around him. He had no choice but to walk up the stairs, slow and apprehensive.

He glanced behind him when he was half-way up, and there was nothing but darkness behind him. He swallowed again, continuing his way up the stairs. When he reached the top, he turned around again, seeing to his dismay but not his surprise that the stairway had disappeared.

He was looking into a long hallway, filled with at least a dozen doors. He started to slowly make his way through it. As soon as he tried to open a door, though, the handle disappeared and his hand gripped nothing.

Dipper’s palms started to sweat. He was sure now something was off. He looked back into the hallway, and a single door was lit up. He guessed he didn’t have much choice, then. He slowly walked towards the door, hesitating, his hand hovering above the handle. The longer he hesitated, the more the door seemed to pulse gold, as if it was trying its very best to invite him in. He gripped the handle, which felt warm and suspiciously pleasant to his skin. He took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Dipper shielded his eyes against the light, not being able to see a thing. When he saw it dim down, he slowly moved his hands away from his face.

He was standing in what seemed to be a dining room. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a white cloth on it, cutlery set in two places. One which was occupied.

Dipper stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She had pale skin, long, dark red hair which was swept over both her shoulders, decorated with tiny white flowers. He could see, even when she was sitting, that she was a tall woman, with a slim figure and a generous chest. Her eyes, which were set on him with a friendly gaze, were a dark blue, and her full lips painted in the same dark red as her dress.

She smiled at him.

“Welcome,” her soft voice sounded. “Please, sit.”

Dipper gulped, looking down at the second place. Feeling like he didn’t have much of a choice, he shakily walked over to the table and sat down. Food appeared on his empty plate, something that looked like a kind of steak he would never be able to afford and a salad which looked more like weird flowers thrown together. The glass before him filled with red wine. He looked at the woman, who smiled again, her white, perfect teeth gleaming.

“Who are you?” Dipper asked, his hands trembling. He had the feeling he knew exactly who it was.

“My name is impossible to pronounce with the human tongue. But you can call me Lily,” the woman – Lily – replied, eyes warm and genuine.

Dipper bit the inside of his cheek. “You’re the one that’s been harassing me in my dreams, aren’t you?” he then asked carefully.

Lily gave a sympathetic smile – so many smiles – and nodded. “I am. But please, understand, I never meant you any harm.”

Dipper frowned. “Oh, really? Then what the hell were you trying to do?”

“Please, eat,” she said, gesturing towards his plate.

One look at her and he knew that she wouldn’t say a word if he didn’t. Dipper hesitated before he started cutting into the steak. Lily stared at him, still smiling, as he slowly put the meat into his mouth.

He frowned at the taste, not recognizing it, but before he could make a remark Lily started talking.

“I was testing you, Dipper. I wanted to see how powerful you are. Which probably would have worked better if you hadn’t had the help of a certain friend of yours.”

Before she had even finished the sentence, Bill appeared, his triangle form floating next to the door. Dipper stared at him in shock, and Bill stared back, not portraying any kind of emotion – which was probably difficult to do anyway since he didn’t really have a face like this.

“Please. You know which form is more appealing to him,” Lily scoffed, and Bill blinked, before he melted into the human Bill Dipper had come to know.

“What… what are you doing here? What’s going on?” Dipper spluttered.

He had been wrong about Bill seeming emotionless. Bill’s human face was set into a manic grin, his eyes betraying nothing.

“Hiya, Pine Tree.”

“Eat,” said Lily, still with that genuine smile on her face.

Dipper didn’t avert his stare from Bill, who raised an eyebrow, still grinning, when he raised a shaking fork to his mouth. He chewed the meat slowly, barely tasting it now as he stared. He swallowed, the meat seeming to stick in his throat, and he coughed before talking.

“Bill. What the fuck is going on?”

Bill shrugged, looking at Lily.

“Dipper, I’ve been watching you for a while now. I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen,” Lily said, taking a sip of her wine.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Lily laced her hands together, folding them under her chin and looking at him with kind eyes.

“You’re so clever. So imaginative. So creative. It’s admirable, really,” she said softly.

Dipper set his fork down, looking at Bill, who was still looking at Lily.

“What’s your point?”

Suddenly, the room rumbled, everything shaking and clattering. He shot a glance at Lily, who was looking… annoyed.

“Would you look at that. Shooting Star’s decided it’s time for you to wake up,” Bill remarked, still grinning. “Wouldn’t want to raise any suspicion, now would we?”

Dipper couldn’t tell who this was directed towards, and he didn’t care. “Bill, you’d better tell me what the fuck is going on here right now,” he snarled, standing up.

Bill waved his hand. “No worries, you won’t remember this anyway.”

“Enough,” Lily said calmly, and Bill immediately shut his mouth. She looked at Dipper.

“We will continue this soon, Dipper. There’s no need to be afraid,” she said gently.

She walked up to him and Dipper froze. Lily sighed, running her hand softly along his cheek. He stared at her face, suddenly so close to his. She really was breathtakingly beautiful.

Lily leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek as the room continued to quake and shudder. He stole a glance at Bill, who was staring at them, still with that mad grin on his face.

Lily leaned her face next to Dipper’s, her lips ghosting over his ear. “Until next time,” she breathed.

The last thing he heard before he woke up was Bill’s manic laughter.

 

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“Dipper, seriously. It’s one in the afternoon.”

Dipper groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Okay, okay. Fuck, Mabel.”

“Are you okay?” her voice sounded concerned.

He slowly opened his eyes to see her face hovering above his. “Yeah. I’ve just got a bit of a headache. Nothing coffee can’t fix, I guess.”

Mabel shook her head. “You slept for too long. That’s why. I get that sometimes, too. Come on, get up. We need to have a chat.”

Dipper groaned again. “Right. Fuck.”

“Yeah. First, coffee. And lunch. Well, breakfast for you, but whatever.”

Breakfast for Dipper was three cups of coffee and a cheese and tomato sandwich. He tried to eat it as slowly as possible, just to avoid what he knew was the inevitable. As soon as he was done, Mabel raised an eyebrow.

“Upstairs. Let’s go.”

Dipper sighed, but nodded, following her back up the stairs. They went into his room, Mabel sitting on his chair as he sat down on the bed. It was silent for a while. Then: “So.”

Dipper shrugged. “So,” he repeated.

“A date. With Bill.”

Mabel’s voice was calm, but he knew that was when he should fear her the most. He shrugged again, sighing.

“Yeah,” was all he said.

“What,” Mabel breathed, “the hell.”

“Mabel, before you go crazy – hear me out.”

She balled her hands into fists before nodding.

“Okay. So I’ve been spending a lot of time with Bill. Also before yesterday.” He looked back up at her, and she nodded again.

“He’s… he’s honestly different, Mabes. I’m not kidding. He’s… not how he was the last time we dealt with him. He’s not interested in all that crap anymore. He’s interested in…”

“You?” Mabel said quietly.

Dipper felt the heat rise to his cheeks, but he nodded. “Mabel, I think… I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think he likes me. Like, actually likes me. He likes spending time with me, he likes to hold my hand and…”

“He likes leaving giant hickeys on your neck,” Mabel said, eyebrows raised as she stared pointedly at his neck.

Dipper immediately covered it, embarrassed beyond belief. “Fuck, I forgot about those. But… yes.”

He stared at his sister as she sat in silence, staring at him with a frown.

“How am I supposed to know he’s not manipulating your mind into thinking you like him, while he actually wants to use you for evil demon things?”

Dipper laughed nervously. “Come on. He’s not. I’ve been completely myself lately, haven’t I?”

Mabel bit her lip. “I guess.”

A pause. “But it’s Bill!”

“I know, I know. It’s hard to grasp. It was hard for me as well, and it still is sometimes. But… people change, Mabel. Look at Gideon.”

“People change, yes! But Bill’s not a person, Dipper! He’s a demon!” Mabel exclaimed, throwing her arms up.

“You know what I mean,” Dipper snapped. Then, calming himself, “I know he’s a demon. I know. But trust me when I say he’s not the same demon we knew ten years ago. Please, Mabel. You’ve got to believe me.”

Mabel was quiet, running her hands through her hair. She took a deep breath.

“Does he make you happy?”

Dipper paused, before a stupid smile appeared on his face and he averted his eyes. “He does, yeah.”

“Okay. In that case I’ll tolerate him. Maybe, just maybe, even grow to like him. BUT.”

Dipper looked up, startled at the sudden loud noise.

“If he ever hurts you,” she continued, “I will end him. END. HIM.”

He smiled, nodding. “I know you will.”

“Good.” Mabel let out a long breath. “You know you’re going to have to tell Gruncle Stan about this sometime, right?”

Dipper grunted. “Yeah, I know. But not yet. I don’t think that’s a conversation either of us could handle at the moment.”

 

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“Gruncle Stan, I’m having dinner with… with the person I went on a date with yesterday,” Dipper said, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Stan raised an eyebrow. “Are you ever gonna give me a name?”

Dipper’s laugh came high-pitched. “Of course. Some day.”

“Okay then. Have fun, kid.”

“Thanks.”

The butterflies in his stomach were ridiculous when he climbed on the back of the motorcycle, arms wrapped tight around Bill’s waist.

 

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“This is…. really fancy,” Dipper said with uncertainty, looking around. “This is the kind of place Pacifica would go for a quick bite.”

Bill laughed, shrugging. “I can’t indulge?”

“Well, yeah, I just don’t know what half the things on this menu even mean.”

Bill laughed again, warm and kind. Kind – a word he’d never thought he’d use in any kind of situation involving Bill.

“I’ll help ya, Pine Tree.”

He spent the next ten minutes explaining in detail what everything on the menu was. Eventually Dipper simply went for a salad.

“Not really in the mood for meat, for some reason,” he shrugged.

Bill raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I told Mabel about us, by the way,” Dipper remarked after they’d gotten their food.

Bill snorted. “Oh, boy. I would have paid to see that.”

Dipper smiled. “Well, she pretty much already knew. It was basically me trying to convince her you’ve changed and all that.”

Bill smirked. “Changed how?”

“Well, you know. Not a homicidal maniac anymore.”

He cackled. “I’m not? What makes you so sure?”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “First of all, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Secondly, you basically apologised for what you did a decade ago. Homicidal maniacs don’t apologise for that stuff, I’m pretty sure.”

Bill shrugged, leaning forward with a grin and a glint in his eye. “You can never be sure though, can you Pine Tree?”

Dipper shivered, his eyes following Bill’s tongue as he licked his lips. The latter raised his eyebrow, looking pointedly towards the bathroom.

“No… no way, Bill. Come on. This is the fanciest restaurant I’ve ever been to, we can’t fuck in the bathroom,” he hissed.

Bill sighed, leaning backward and taking a gulp from his wine. “Pussy. Shame.”

Dipper grit his teeth, staring at the man sitting opposite him. He kept on staring at him as he slowly stood up, kept on staring as he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Bill gave him a smug, hungry smirk as he stood up as well and followed him.

Dipper pulled him into a stall, and they looked at each other for a moment before instantaneously locking lips.

While Dipper tried to keep things as quiet as possible, Bill didn’t give a shit, knocking his elbows into the wall, shoving Dipper backwards and growling as he started biting at the latter’s neck.

“Fuck,” Dipper whimpered when Bill’s hand went to his crotch, already half hard, and slapped a hand over his own mouth.

Bill reached up again, pulling his hand away.

“I want to hear you,” he breathed in his ear, and Dipper shuddered.

“Bill, we need to be careful,” he whispered, his hands automatically going into Bill’s shirt and scratching.

Bill groaned, grinning manically. “Who gives a _fuck_ ,” he grunted, emphasising the last word by squeezing Dipper’s bulge.

Bill pulled Dipper’s shirt up, biting and kissing his chest, moving down to his stomach, until he was sitting back on his heels and looking up at him with hungry eyes.

Dipper’s head fell back against the wall when Bill started undoing the button of his jeans, opening the zipper and pulling his trousers down.

He pressed a kiss against the bulge in Dipper’s underwear, making the latter whimper. Dipper threaded his fingers through Bill’s hair as the latter pulled down his underwear.

“Fuck!” Dipper cried out as Bill licked along the length of his now uncovered cock.

He quickly covered his own mouth as Bill licked around the tip, his lips brushing it. Bill pulled Dipper’s hands down, threading them with his own as he took him into his mouth. Dipper’s knees wobbled, his breath coming in gasps while Bill started to work his tongue in the filthiest way. His nails dug into Bill’s hands as he did his best not to make too much sound. It wasn’t fair that Bill was so good at this. His head went back and forth, sucking and licking and – biting. Biting, ever so slightly. And fuck, Dipper loved it.

His hand dropped Bill’s to go to his head, pulling at Bill’s hair as the latter kept working his mouth around his cock. He had to try his best not to push Bill’s head, had to refrain himself from practically fucking Bill’s face – instead digging his nails into the latter’s scalp and shuddering when Bill moaned around his cock.

Bill’s free hand went to cup his ass, fingernails digging into it. Dipper hissed, fingers pulling harder at Bill’s hair.

He looked down, and was met with a hungry gaze. Hungry, but also… affectionate. Not just lust, but something else as well.

The noises were obscene, Bill’s slurping and groaning and Dipper’s moaning and cursing… but he found he didn’t really care.

“Oh fuck… fuck, please,” he whimpered, closing his eyes, feeling himself coming close.

Suddenly, Bill pulled away, wiping at his mouth at looking up at him with the filthiest smirk. Dipper looked at him, appalled.

“What… why would you –“

“Say my name, Pine Tree. Let me hear you say it,” Bill hissed, licking his lips.

Dipper swallowed. “Bill. Please.”

Bill cackled. “Yes, let me hear you beg.” He was enjoying himself far too much.

Dipper accepted that whatever shred of dignity he’d had was now officially gone, his aching cock serving as a reminder.

“Please, Bill. Don't... don't stop. I – I need you – need you to keep going, I need you to suck my cock, please suck my cock,” Dipper said breathlessly, and could have cried with happiness when Bill gave a smug grin and took him back into his mouth.

“Ohhh, fuck…. Mmhh, Bill, oh my god yes, _fuck_ ,” Dipper whimpered as Bill started sucking him faster and harder. His tongue swirled around the tip of his cock, and Dipper gasped.

“Ohmygod I’m close, please, please BILL oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck,” was all that he managed to say, eventually just moaning profanity.

His knees shook as he was on the edge, now not being able to contain himself and thrusting his hips in time with Bill’s head bobbing. Luckily, the latter didn’t seem to mind, and Dipper felt his chuckles vibrating around his cock.

Bill clawed his nails into Dipper’s ass, _hard_ , and that was what it took to bring Dipper over the edge. He tried to clasp his hand over his mouth but Bill roughly pulled his arm down, not giving him any choice but to moan and gasp loudly, his entire body shuddering as he came in Bill’s mouth.

“Ffffffuck,” he mumbled then, covering his red face with his hands.

Bill stood up, his face one of disgust, and regarded Dipper’s slumped form.

“I am never swallowing that stuff again,” he grimaced, and Dipper laughed breathlessly, pulling up his boxers before sliding onto the floor.

“Fuck, Bill. That was amazing.” He pulled Bill into a sloppy kiss, tasting himself on his tongue.

“Obviously,” Bill smirked, kissing the corner of Dipper’s mouth.

“But… maybe next time don’t emphasise how gross my cum is,” the latter snorted, running his hands through his hair. “Ugh, fuck.”

“Well, it is. I’m not going to lie about it,” Bill shrugged.

“I’ll bet your cum tastes just as gross,” Dipper said, closing his eyes.

It was silent for a moment, and he practically felt the smirk emanating from Bill.

“Guess you’ll find out about that soon enough, Pine Tree.”

Dipper cracked an eye open, smiling. “I will.”

After another fifteen minutes of recovering and kissing, they finally returned to their seats, continuing their dinner with a smug – from Bill, and flustered – from Dipper – atmosphere hanging around them.

 

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That night, Dipper fell asleep in Bill’s arms, happy and content, and dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, please let me know what you think! <3

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! second chapter will be up soon. please don't forget to comment and let me know what you think!


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